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Something To Chew On (Small Update At The Bottom Now. Nothing Huge)

The Redskins say it will be at a least a week until he tells us who the new head coach is and I know that's way too long for you all to spend dissecting the coaching career of Jim Fassel slone. How about we take a moment to examine someone whose names has not been publicly linked to the job yet.

Ready?

You sure?

Steve Mariucci.

Remember four years ago owner Daniel Snyder danced with a lot of coaches but all the while the Joe Gibbs recruitment was guarded with great secrecy? What if it's happening again? How would that go over?

Hear me out for a few paragraphs now, then let me know what you think,. Maybe I'm crazy. But connecting the dots, talking to various people with ties to Mariucci and the West Coast Offense family tree, other unrelated NFL execs, top agents, former players of Mariucci's ... this is a theory at least worth chewing over with my RI peeps.

I got Mariucci's agent, Gary O'Hagan, on the phone ever so briefly yesterday and after he peppered me with rapid-fire questions about the Redskins' coaching search I tried to pin him down on whether there had been contact between the Redskins and Mariucci and all he'd say is: "No comment." Mark Maske, our NFL reporter, ran into Mariucci in the media center for the Super Bowl in Phoenix, asked the former coach of the 49ers and Lions if he had talked to the Redskins regarding their opening: Mariucci seemed a little taken aback and said: "I'm working for the NFL Network right now, and that's all I'm doing."

Wonder if the "right now" part of that sentence turns out to be the key?

The Redskins are not commenting on any part of their coaching search. So I have no firm confirmation of contact, though one former Mariucci associate told me that Mariucci has been calling some of his former coaches recently, and that the Redskins are definitely possibility, with Oakland perhaps as well (assuming the Raiders work out whatever is going on with current coach Lane Kiffin. (Steve is a San Fran guy - via Iron Mountain, Michigan- and one of his former assistants told me Mariucci's wife would prefer to stay in a warmer locale.

So let's peel back this onion, shall we?

It certainly is unusual - though hardly unprecedented - that Snyder would hire his coordinators before his head coach. And league sources said that Jim Zorn was Jim Fassel's top choice as OC, and that he was very comfortable with Greg Blache running his defense as well. That all adds up. Snyder told Fassel on Wednesday night that while he was delaying a decision until after the Super Bowl that Fassel remained a top candidate. I buy all of that and no doubt whatsoever Fassel is in this thing and has a good chance of getting it. But Snyder also could have gone ahead and hired him this week, even though he was unable to get his top choice defensive coordinator, Rex Ryan.

Now, the Redskins have let it be known they have interest in coaches involved in the Super Bowl, with league sources saying Giants DC Steve Spagnuolo is of particular interest. But it would take some serious covert ops/tampering for any team to be talking to Spagnuolo now, especially to the degree to put together a staff around him. And would any coach take his first job walking into a virtually set staff of which he has no ties? Same goes for Ron Meeks, the Indianapolis DC who will have his second interview with the team this week. And again, they could have already made that hire, but instead we're having second interviews with Fassel.

Several league sources said they doubted a defensive coach would get this job now after Blache being promoted, and with the Redskins prizing the development of QB Jason Campbell, whom they have invested so much in, during this process (one of the primary reasons Fassel is an attractive candidate).

Okay, so let's see, Jim Zorn, West Coast Offense coach, directly from the Mike Holmgren tree. Well, what do you know, so is Mariucci. Very strong ties there. Perhaps he would not have been Mariucci's top choice as OC, but they come from the same system, Holmgren is their mentor (Zorn spent the last six seasons as Holmgren's QB coach). They run essentially the same system. Zorn has no previous experience as an NFL OC, but with an offensive minded head coach and another hire or two, your set. Also, Zorn will be working heavily with Campbell, and Mariucci goes back to Brett Favre in the developing QBs department.

What about Blache, you say?

Well, Blache is another West Coast guy, worked with Mariucci under Holmgren in Green Bay for a few years. In 2004, when Blache was leaving Chicago after 5 years as the Bears DC, Mariucci tired very hard to get him on his staff with the Lions. The Redskins ended up beating him out for that hire, but there was major interest from Mariucci, multiple league sources said.

Want another connection? Executive vice president Vinny Cerrato. Cerrato worked with Mariucci in SF and as the Redskins put in a press release about Cerrato's promotion last week, he is very influential in this process. Cerrato "loves" Mariucci, two NFL sources said. (Mariucci may have some concerns about Washington's current personnel structure, according to two of his former assistants, but no job is perfect and in the end money talks).

Mariucci has been under contract to the NFL Network, but all those deals have out-clauses to pursue coaching gigs. Also, in recent weeks the plane Snyder has used to conduct the coaching searches has been tracked multiple times to LAX, neat the NFL Network set, and then later to cities still involved in the playoffs, in some cases where the NFL Network was using a live set with Mariucci included.

The Redskins could have had lengthy conversations with him in recent weeks, and Cerrato would have been the perfect point man to set it all. He could have easily signed off on the decisions. And, like we said, those two coaches also work for Fassel. So that's a win-win.

"Those are hires I think Mooch would be very comfortable with," said one of his former assistants. "That makes perfect sense. And I know Steve wants to get back into coaching, because this is the last year of his Detroit contract (Mariucci was fired with two years left on his deal with Detroit, earning $11 million from the team in the process). That makes perfect sense."

One NFL GM, after studying the consecutive hires of Zorn and Blache said: "It all points to Mariucci. It's like you're starting a Washington branch of the West Coast family. Look at the coordinators. Then you've got Vinny who could put it together. That's viable. That's something I think you could sell.

"He's a likeable guy, he's had success, been to the playoffs, you can trace him back to Bill Walsh. I think you could sell that package to the fans and everybody's comfortable. That's what I think he's trying to pull off."

Another former player of Mariucci's, who also has ties to the Redskins, said: "Mooch can talk the talk. He knows how the sell this. He could interview his (backside) off."

One of Mariucci's former assistants who goes all the way back to their college coaching days, said: "Steve's personality, the out-going manner, the way he interacts with people, that would be a perfect fit for Snyder."

A league source who has interacted significantly with Snyder and Mariucci said: "I know he would be very attracted to Steve. Steve's got that big smile, he loves to (BS). He's the kind of guy Snyder could put his arm around and buddy around with."

Two of Mariucci's former players also pointed out the similarities between the teams he had in San Fran and this Redskins team. Both have lots of veteran leadership and have a playoff pedigree, and, like Gibbs, he puts a lot of trust in his players. With the 49ers he ran a "Dirty Dozen" of 12 player representatives that met with him weekly and had a significant say in setting up routines, practices, chemistry issues, etc. Sounds an awful lot like Gibbs's Leadership Counsel right there (look at that Skins, I'm doing some homework for you. You can add this the whole "continuity" vibe should you unveil Mooch as coach someday).

Then, let's think about the word the Redskins made clear again yesterday in their press release about no coach until after the Super Bowl. Well, sure they can, and likely will, interview some coaches involved in the game, but Mariucci is contractually obligated to work that game as well - he's out in Arizona working for the NFL Network right now - so there's another connection.

Hey, this could be a wasted exercise for all of us. All these weeks chained to my keyboard and Blackberry surely warped me in many ways. Fassel is certainly a guy they are behind, and who knows if they pull a trump card like Pete Carroll or Bill Cowher out at the last second, but I highly, highly, highly doubt that.

So, what do you guys think?

PS - Forgot to include this in the original post. After Gibbs retired the other teams conducting coaching searches - three at the time - held strategy meetings to see how Snyder's involvement might impact their lists of candidates, timetables, etc. At least one of those three other teams conducted lengthy internal meetings to that end and came away with an organizational belief that Snyder would try to land a "big fish" - I.e. Cowher or Carroll, but that those guys weren't budging for the Washington job and had too many concerns about personnel, etc. So ruling them out this team concluded that Snyder would either hire Gregg Williams or Steve Mariucci. Maybe those guys knew what they were talking about.

PPS - Best episode of The Wire ever last night. McNaulty off the deep end entirely. Prop Joe is gone. Omar back with a vengeance. Killing off Joe (and Hungry Man to a lesser degree) - especially with Cheese of all people giving Prop up and Marlo the new undisputed king of slinging - is like killing off any semblance of the old-school "code" in the game. Any shred of ethics on the corners is gone. That show is beyond real. I already miss it and there's like 4 episodes left. Every scene is epic.

At this point, would any hire not draw ridicule from the masses? Real Redskin fans should wait and see what happens. There are enough people laughing at Dan Snyder no matter what he does without us doing it too. Let Len Pasquerelli do the Redsking bashing and lets not make things worse...

There are good assistant coaches in place already. The head coach isn't all that important anyway. Gibbs was too old and cautious, so how much worse could anyone else be?

What about Russ Grimm? He's got the experience with the Gibbs system, certainly would please the fans and has the tact to make a difficult situation as best as it could be. I think he'd jump to be a head coach, even with the OC and DC already decided. Bugel and the other Gibbs coaches woud be ecstatic. Why not at least interview him?

No...I'm not Snyder's kid! I just like to bring a little logic to the insanity. Why should I rip the owner for not hiring who we think he should hire? And again...you and probably half these bloggers wanted Greg Williams azz in a sling two years ago. I'm just trying to weed out the "fake" fans.

The Mariucci thing makes a lot of sense, actually. At this point, I don't know exactly what I think about it. After all, Mariucci inherited a team in SF with a Super Bowl pedigree and managed to maintain a pretty good degree of success even with all the salary cap problems. And there will certainly be enough salary cap problems with the Redskins over the next several years. But then there's the whole Detroit fiasco...

I guess, on balance, hiring him might be the best of a bad bunch of options right now.

i've been thinking there has to be a secret candidate. The Danny does not like people to know what he's thinking. And Mooch would be a great fit with the Danny AND Washington. I would take this over any possibility currently out there unless he pulls cowher out of his a**. Spurrier is the only coach he's hired that we heard about until right before it was official.

It is really sad, but I am well beyond caring anymore. Tired of little hitler playing games with good people like Williams.

It would have been refreshing to see the organization show some class after the tough season the coaches, players and even the fans endured this year. No doubt, a bit too much to ask.

Still need a GM, as no coaching hire will make a difference in the long run. As far as I gather, the team still lacks any long-term plan. Been running on the future is now, and pissing away cap space for 10 years now.

It sounds a little Oliver Stone.....however.....would not put it past Danny Boy and Vinnie "The Weasel" Cerrato...I would like to see the Mooch experiment in Washington, seems like a smart and charismatic HC...better then Fassel, who I am sure is a nice guy and a good coach, but we got so used to hating him when he was with the Giants that it is hard to think of him as a Redskin.....Damn u Snider if you hire Mooch I am forced to use my season tickets to look at the car crash once again...you EVIL GENIOUS!!!!!!!!

"you and probably half these bloggers wanted Greg Williams azz in a sling two years ago. I'm just trying to weed out the "fake" fans."

Yo Rickrouge,

What are you thr "Redskins Fan Police" who annointed you that role jag off? I never called for Williams head, nor did I scream that he be annointed the HC. But your grovelling at Snyder's for the last three days is getting beyond gross, your "Please sir may I have another cup of your siht gruel" schtick it getting stale.

People are allowed to disagree, Snyder wasn't annointed by Gawd. Actually he is the same as you, me and the rest of us fan(atics) who just happened to earn enough money in Pyrimid schemes to be able to buy the team.....

I think Marucci would be a much better hire than Fossel. But, that said, I agree with those of you who think that Grimm would be the wise choice. I think as others have said that it would help the team continue on the path Gibbs started and would be bringing back a guy who just a year ago was considered one of the hottest coaching prospects in the league to where he made a name for himself in football, which would do a lot to make me happier at the awful way Snyder has handled this whole process.

this is my only issue i agree Mooch is a better candidate than Fassel but what iam getting at is this yes the defense is there i sthe the type of coach that likes to have strong defenses just like Gibbs did that is the onlt issue i have with Mooch yes he's a offensive coach at the same time you need stong defenses to make your team better

Don't know about Steve M. but think Fassel and Meeks and even the Giants/Pats coordinators are nothing more than smoke screens and that DS will probably come up with someone as HC who has not been part of the public process. That, for sure, is his style. Jason may be right; there has to be some previous West Coast connection and the fact that Vinny and Steve M. worked together in SanFran is huge.

Something Else To Chew On
The Washington Post says it will be at least a week until they tells us who the new Redskins blogger is and I know that's way too long for you all to spend dissecting the blogging career of Jason La Canfora. How about we take a moment to examine someone whose name has not been publicly linked to the job yet.

Ready?

You sure?

Len Pasquarelli.

How would that go over?

Hey! in the spirit of rumor in lieu of news, let me be the second entrant into rumor-mongering.

Jeez JLC. Your lack of creativity in the rumring arena is sad. You need to do a backdoor rumor for it to have credibility. Tell us that your sister, the realtor, has been showing houses in western Loudoun county to the Mooch.

Call me, I'll teach you the ways of creative and credible rumor mongering. In the meantime, leave rumors to the professionals.

They MUST interview Russ Grimm. I'm a Redskins fan that lives in Phoenix and, although you probably can't tell from their record, Grimm has done wonders with this Cardinals team, especially in changing the culture and attitude of this team. In large part to Grimm, the Cardinals are only going to get better and better. He's a true Redskin that we could all live with as Head Coach. He's a great leader and a winner! At least interview the guy and see what he has to say.

I totally buy the Mariucci connection. When I first read this, I thought no way, pie-in-the-sky. But after all the connections JLC lists, I am starting to buy that this is a real possibility, especially with the Cerrato-Mariucci relationship. And the secrecy of everything, the fact that we have not heard ANYTHING about Mariucci up to now, makes it seem a little more likely that something could be up behind the scences. Synder has a thing for drama, which I can't say is bad (remember the thrill hearing about Gibbs coming back, after all that was done in secrecy?).

Bravo JLC!

If nothing else, this whole drama has been completely riveting. Even though I completely despise the way Williams was handled - really classless, I think, on the part of Snyder.

I really hope that youre onto something JLC... Changes where they are needed (offense) continuity where things are working (defense). Mooch is a proven coach, who knows how to work with young QB's. What else could the fans expect, short of wholesale changes (along with 2-3 years of growing pains and top 10 draft picks) under someone like Cowher?

The offense needed to be revamped, but already has significant tools in place. Campbell will have to learn another new system, but the WC system is kindergarden compared to Saunders' and these guys know what they are doing. It would be a very very solid hire under the circumstances! Definitely makes more sense than Meeks, Fassel, or anyone coaching in the Patriot Bowl...

The latest from Bram...which ironically ties into JLC's latest thread....

*******

"You can't defend firing Gregg Williams and promoting Greg Blatche. So I guess what is being said is "we like the defense, we just don't like the guy who was responsible for it."
Doesn't every workplace include someone who despite being a blowhard happens to be too valuable to get rid of? I call that person, Bill Parcells, Bill O'Reilly, or Bill Belichick. On second thought, maybe need to hire someone named Bill.
That statement would suggest Gregg is the second coming of somebody. Far from it. But he might have been. All I am merely suggesting is not everyone has Joe Gibbs demeanor. And sometimes we have to sacrifice the notion of hanging out at Happy Hour with the boss.

Let me see if I have a full grasp of where the Skins stand as of right now. They don't have a head coach but they do have a two coordinators, one replaces the lead candidate who's been ushered out of the running despite a lack of a better Gibbs successor. This makes sense to who?
So is anyone of any merit going to accept this job now that they will be told they'll have little to no say in personnel and certainly no say in who their staff is? That seems backwards to me, but I'm no Bill.

Do you like watching people feign happiness? Then wait till you see the smiles on the faces of the Snyder/Cerrato/New Coach in waiting the day of the eventual press conference naming this person head coach in charge of everything and nothing all at the same time..
So who has the 10 million dollar smile? I'd go with Steve Mariucci, he certainly could pull off the role and besides, could this situation be worse then Detroit?
Don't answer that..
Or my NY friends posed this one, what's the bigger disaster, The Skins or the Knicks?
Don't answer that one either.."

Sounds like Bram, John Clayton, Chris Mortensen, and Adam Schefter all need their own personal Ombudsmans as well. Everyone is reporting that the 'Skins have been all over the map throughout this whole process.

And tjzukoski why 7you still griping sounds like the reaction up here to the Mooch theory has been pretty positive, maybe your constant whining about those of us not 100% toeing the Snyder line is getting whack...

I think Jasno got a little money under the table from Dan Snyder on this one. They want to gauge the interest from the fan base after leaving Fassel at the altar last week.

I like the idea. Mooch has a lot of respect around the league and is definitely knowledgeable. As someone said, you can't count Detroit. I love Matt Millen (helped the 'Skins in '91), but he is the only GM/football operations guy more dysfunctional than the V-anny duo. That dude picked a WR in the first round for like, 87 straight years!

One question I had: how would the West Coast affect Portis? But hopefully they could utilize him the way Green Bay did with Grant this year, or Seattle did with Alexander in '05.

Fassel is not a bad guy - I just wasn't sold on him. This, I could definitely buy.

What you think about Mooch Lisa? I think he would be a good fit for this team...I've alwasy liked his style of coaching when he was with the 49ers...of course like mentioned before "can't blame him for detroit" I mean MArtz was just fired there. Any I would be excited about a Mocch surprise

The Redskins almost have to hire an offensive head coach -- I'm not sure Zorn is ready to be OC -- given his comment about being the quarterback coach for Campbell.. Mariucci and the West Coast offense would be exciting to watch in Washington. It has certainly worked well for Philly.

The question is what happens to the offensive players? Which players would fit best in a west coast offense?

This certainly seems plausible to me although they will need some bigger wrs we might even get something out of b lloyd now since he knows the west coast offense. I am not heart broken that saunders and williams are gone this tean has not lived up to it's potential recently so why stay with mediocrity. I hope they get him.

I won't quibble with the assumptions but I don't see how West Coast Mooch is better than in-house G. Williams. At best, 2008 is a transition year for the offense. Maybe this is a good hire in three years but I'm not getting that vibe yet.

No...I'm not Snyder's kid! I just like to bring a little logic to the insanity. Why should I rip the owner for not hiring who we think he should hire? And again...you and probably half these bloggers wanted Greg Williams azz in a sling two years ago. I'm just trying to weed out the "fake" fans.

Posted by: rickyroge

This guy is a tool for sure. Do not reply and make the PR staff get yet another name.

OHHMYGOD jason! what have they done to you? who cares? don't let snider do this to you. and i speak on the behalf of every fan no one is going to give a shti if snider pulled one out of the hat again or not. no one gives a shti! anymore! the ace of spade is no longer in the deck. heck none of the picture cards are in the deck anymore. all's left is junk.

so please get some rest and just report when snider actually reports the hiring of a new hc.

there is NO excitement, there is NO drama anymore. WHO CARES???? right skinsfans?

except for bootgate...
btw...no wonder brady doesn't have the time to do those idiotic commercials that the fraud II(would you like to guess who fraud I is no it's not shEli) does. have you seen his "new" supermodel girlfriend???? motherfckr! atleast we didn't see magic and wilt's girls...

ohh btw...i don't plan to adopt a new team like diddy either. i have no plans to adopt the panthers or the superchargers...i have just quit the nfl all together because my beloved team is kidnapped by an evil oger. after the superbowl i'm done nfl.

I really hope that this hypothesis of your is true. I would actually be glad to have Mooch as our next HC.

Much Kudos and Gold Stars if you call this one right.

Either way, you've given me some hope for the next week as I've been stewing over the Williams departure.

Posted by: nwoking

Ok there is no hope that is what they want us to think. See rickyroge giving Snyder props for the process. We had good coaches and they got rid of them (see washingtonpost.com). West cost in DC F that.

IF you know anything JC is not suited to the West Cost system. He goes deep the best.

Didn't Denever runa west coast stlye offense? Portis seemed to tear it up in that system. I'm not sure but I thought MS ran a west style...anyone know?

Posted by: leevi98 | January 28, 2008 12:19 AM

Yeah, they run a WC modification. The big difference though is their O-Line. Much smaller and athletic than ours and and Seattle's in '05. Plus, the Denver O-Line has that Zone Blocking Scheme that Portis wanted the 'skins to utilize more but they could never really hammer it down.

This makes a lot of sense. Question along some of the other thinking that has been posted - where many of the assistants are remaining here, at Gibbs request/recommendation. Would Gibbs have recommended Mariucci to Dan? If Gibbs is an adviser to Dan, how much clout does he really have? And how much of this would have been Gibbbs idea? I could live with this versus Fassel.

I guess Mariucci would be fine, but I don't think it matters who we get at this point. The sense of hope and Redskins pride Gibbs restored to this team are being destroyed by this process. I think the BS that came out about Williams criticizing Gibbs was a PR ploy to attempt to reverse the huge fan outcry about passing over Williams, and it was pretty pathetic. Suppose Williams did criticize Gibbs? That would be a good thing. We need a coach who's not afraid to point to mistakes that were made, even by the almighty Gibbs. The last thing we need is a Snyder Yes-Man, because Snyder obviously knows nothing about football. Now that Gibbs is gone, Snyder is returning to his OCD, untrusting ways, firing those who actually stand a reasonable chance at turning things around, like Marty. From here on out, as long as Snyder still owns this team (and he's a young, greedy SOB, and the Redskins are the biggest cash-cow he will ever come to milk, so I will probably be long-dead before he sells his shares), we can expect more of the same off-season splashes and disappointing season endings - perhaps a playoff every once in a while, but the Redskins will NEVER go to the Super Bowl while that man owns the team.

Go tuck Dan in for the night Vinny. Portis and westbrook are not the same players.

I will let the rest go as PR crap. Name good players and we will forget who is running the F team.

Posted by: mul | January 28, 2008 12:36 AM

Hey mule (isn't that synonymous with ass)> Portis excelled in the West Coast offense in Denver, he had huge numbers, and he wasn't Westbrook then either.

Posted by: scampbell1975

Ok the person who put that works for Dan, they also put Joe Montana. Westbrook is a pass catcher protis more of a running running back. If you check a few post up you will see the difference between Denver and the Redskins.

To say the Redskins will never go to the Super Bowl as long as Snyder is the owner is crazy to say. Before Tom Brady came along Robert Kraft was hated in Boston. Now he is there favorite owner. Come on, thats crazy to say. Dont root for the team then

For the record, kudos to whomever pulled out Shabingus again. it's spot on to describe this.

Second, does this HC rollercoaster really matter anymore? It's clear Danny and Cerato have decided on a system, decided on personnel, decided on the coordinators, decided on how much to jack up tix prices again, decided on everything EXCEPT the HC.

So when it comes down to it, we should just care about getting the chimp who has the best record of motivating the players and not having any brainfarts (esp. dealing with clock mgmt, red challenge flags and use of time outs). That said, I think I'd rather have Mooch than Fassel. But better yet, Grimm would fit really nicely ...

And let's not forget, by Danny and Cerato wielding control, they won't hesitate to can someone after 1-2 years of underperforming. It's not like we are signing over the team a la Holmgren or Parcells.

Mul, my man mellow out! I am quickly becoming anti-anyone up here who is just being a hard-0n about the same point. I agree with you a bunch, but its football my man have some fun...

That said if you want a RB comparrison really should be looking at Seattle and S. Alexander rather than Westbrook. That is who Portis would be in the O Zorn might install. They also had a big O-line which we have, although not as talented. In addition as I said a few posts ago, the FB Mack Strong really made the running attack hum in Seattle. Sellers can fill that roll nicely.

Everyone talked about Alexander sucking this year, and he did, guess who was out for the year injured....Mack Strong.

cL, Mack Strong not only out injured for the year, the dude up and retired rather than risk a severe, life-altering injury. Spine or neck or something.

Anyway, aside from him (a great dude with a great name who played like you want 'em all to play), F the Shehawks. I liked them a little when I was a kid and they were in the AFC and they had never won anything and they had Kenny Easley from Tidewater VA. Now they're dead to me.

And while we're at it, F Dan Snyder for making me cringe every time I open up the blog or see a teevee or turn on the sports radio station, wondering what latest embarrassment he may have wrought for my beloved franchise. Jerk.

I have never had the anger towards the skins I think ever. This is insane. We probably only have a dozen coaches who would work for snyder unless these recent hirings,firings and promotions are being dictated by the next already agreed upon head coach asked for this.The players can want whatever,bottom line is they are overpaid kids who have to deal with it. williams is at best a .500 coach knowing Danny Boy watch for a surprise high profile coach. who could we lure from the pats? Who is available that's worth crap? Mooch again is at most a .600 coach. right now the only person available that probably would be talking to snyder is grimm. what we really need have needed for years is a GM. Beathard was a huge reason we had a great run. I doubt it but i'm 51% grimm "WHERES GIBBS" Snyderatto need to go play at the park and leave the football to a real live GM till then we somehow will look dumber every year

tjzukoski,before Brady the Patriots went to the Super Bowl in Jan,1997 with Bledsoe.And why should anyone feel obligated to root for the Redskins when the owner is a complete jerk?I've watched them for 42 years,but he's sucked the fun out of it at this point.I'm looking forward to the baseball season,for we now have a team here with a system in place.They will be a winning organization before the Redskins.

Mooch was something of a wunderkind at SF but made the mistake of working in Detroit. I dunno about him as the next Skins coach, except that I am definitely in the "Mariucci > Fassel" camp. But I haven't shaken my numbness over this whole thing.

Could it be Meeks or somebody else? Does it even matter who gets the gig, with the Snyderrato clown car pulling up at the Park every day?

Here's another vote for Russ Grimm. Snyder needs to pay attention to Redskin's history if he wants to earn his fan's respect in how he plans its future. We have never been a West Coast offense team. We have been a smash-mouth Defense and Coryell offense team focused on a strong running game for the NFC East and deep playoff runs in cold weather. We are not trying to recreate San Fran in the 90s. That is a proud franchise, but it is not our franchise and Snyder should know better.

Russ G is what would do this city proud and earn the Danny some respect.

cL, I am on record up here as being PRO-PORTIS and of course pro-Sellers. I love those dudes like they were my brothers. I want to see them stacked in that backfield for sixteen incredible successful games this fall. I want Clinton to run for 100 every game and for Iron Mike to catch six TDs. Yes I do. I believe in those two mofos.

I WISH Russ Grimm were in the mix, dudes, but we have no indication as yet that his phone has rung.

Redskins One picked up the wrong dude when it went to AZ!!! News flash! Fassel was sweeping the floor in the terminal and he slipped a roofie in Grimm's cocktail, and suddenly HE'S the frontrunner for the job. Barf.

why would grimm come here. he withdrew from the raiders job last year as al davis was offering the job. why would he want to ruin his name and become the dan's head henchman. i think he would be a grea hire for the skins but i hope for grimms sake it doesnt happen.

Ruin his good name by coming back to be the head coach of the only team he ever played for? Come on, he would be hailed as a returning hero, and I believe he would have as good a chance as anybody to make lemonade out of these Snyderrato-brand lemons.

mariucci would be good for the skins. if you take away detroit where he was playing with millens team (great player, but even isiah and the knicks look good next to him)his record was 57-39, pretty stellar.

as for portis, if mooch can get 1400 yards from ricky waters and garrison hearst, imagine what he can do with a game breaker like cp. i think portis filled the role gibbs gave him very well the past 4 years, but he is a home run hitter, not a 4 yards and a cloud riggo type gibbs wanted him to be.again, to be clear, portis has been great but would have been in hawaii the past few if he was allowed to use his strengths instead of taking one for the team and playing a diff. role.

I totally dig where you're coming from, matthew. I really do. But I pine for someone to ride in on a white horse to save this mess like Coach Gibbs did four years ago. Because one thing is sure: Coach Gibbs ain't walkin' through that door.

Does it matter who signs on with the Redskins, It will be blown up shortly. The Washington Post is no longer a priority to be purchased because I am disgusted with Snyder and dont care to follow the team anymore. I can cancel my NFL ticket for the same reason as well as my yearly purchases of NFL magazines. Maybe the ripple down effect, if enough people do the same would wake up the powers that be that the fans do matter. Dont get excited about the team, just boycott them and maybe his Snyderness will get the message and sell the team. He's hurt enough people already and doesn't deserve any more chances. Mariucci, Meeks, Zorn, etc. etc. etc. dont come close to what we had, and abused. A QB coach doesnt come close to Saunders, and no one mentioned comes close to Williams, and they will all be disrespected and dumped shortly and the fans will suffer through another Danny and Vinny catastrophe.

1bmffwb (a real mouthful, that!), do you really, really think you would be able to turn it off, like a light switch? Really, dude? I know I couldn't. And that's why I don't issue ultimata about changing my allegiance and getting new maps and like such as. It would be disingenuous. I yam what I yam.

As for subverting Snyder's ownership of the team, I would advocate it if I truly believed it would affect his dedication to continuing ownership of the franchise even one whit. But it won't. If anything, it will get his back up, and convince him to be MORE stubborn and MORE of all the things we hate about him.

We have to live in a world in which Dan Snyder owns the Redskins, and we have to plan for life in that world for, maybe, the rest of our days. Barf, I know. Barf. But that's the hand we've been dealt.

For those who continue to mention Russ Grimm... He was an all time great Redskin, not in the class of Jacoby, Lachey or Bostic, but a very good Hog indeed! He has been a sturdy OL coach for years here, with the Steelers, and now in AZ. So what? Does that make him head of the class for this search? What has he done that makes him a better candidate than Fasell (proven winning record) or Mooch (proven winning record)? The guy has interviewed for at least 2 other HC positions and was passed over each time. Maybe there's a reason...

When all of the smoke clears, Vinny and Dan will hire the man they think has the best chance to get us out of this rut. I've said it before, Joe Gibbs time here was mediocre at best. We needed some changes! I don't know about you, but 8-8, 9-7, one and done in the playoffs does nothing for me. Glory was not restored. Try and keep an open mind and lets see where this goes.

mariucci would be good for the skins. if you take away detroit where he was playing with millens team (great player, but even isiah and the knicks look good next to him)his record was 57-39, pretty stellar.

I see where you're coming from, castro1234, but I disagree. Yeah, I thought we'd be farther along by this season than we were. I also remain convinced that the best chance we had to do better next season was with Joe Gibbs as our head coach, which I firmly believed until he stunned us all by stepping down two weeks ago. So I guess the beer is taking hold of me because I can't really remember what point I had after that one. But it was a doozy! Really.

Glory was not restored. Try and keep an open mind and lets see where this goes.

Posted by: castro1234 | January 28, 2008 01:59 AM

Hear, hear. No matter how much we want to put a gold bow on it, there were problems. St. Joe does not get a free pass after the time out debacle and clock mismanagement this year ... its amazing what we are willing to forget after the Sean Taylor tragedy. But my guess Fassel, Mooch or GG would not have made those mistakes which could have been 1-3 more wins this year.

My biggest complaint about some of the past coaches even before St. Joe is letting the easy wins (or Q4 leads) slip away. I would be happy with any friggin coach who can hold leads and close out teams (hell, isnt this what every NFC East game comes down to?!)

I love Joe Gibbs, but he was no saint, and was past his prime. He talked Ramsay up and then shut him down. He talked Snyder up and then look what happened. He couldn't manage the clock or play calling and was given a pass. His first two years the team with all its coaches could not put a disciplined cohesive team on the field. He chose Brunell who couldn't start for most college teams. He and all the other coaches held the team together this year and deserves credit for that. He will tell you what he wants you to hear, not necessarily the truth. He tried to protect his legacy. Without Williams defense, he would have been asked to step down earlier in his contract.

NateinthePDX, I love Joe G just like every true Skins fan. He's currently the only HC of the Skins worth remembering in my lifetime. The end of 2007 was exciting and he did a remarkable job holding the team together after the tragedy. All valid reasons why (as you point out) he would have been the best coach to take us into 2008. But, he's moved on and now we have to reflect on everything. The numbers show that his time here was fair at best, and I'm being generous. Look at all of the second half collapses, the bumbled calls, the play clock errors, etc, etc. Those are not Dan Snyder or Vinny issues folks...

All that I'm saying is that it was time for a change, and Gibbs knew it. In a way, maybe a big way depending on how this plays out, he did the organization a favor by pulling the plug a year early. Blasphamy I know. Snyder has hundreds of millions of dollars vested on the success of this team. He's consistently done everything he possibly could to build a winner here. Maybe his efforts will pay off this time??

Hear, hear. No matter how much we want to put a gold bow on it, there were problems. St. Joe does not get a free pass after the time out debacle and clock mismanagement this year ... its amazing what we are willing to forget after the Sean Taylor tragedy. But my guess Fassel, Mooch or GG would not have made those mistakes which could have been 1-3 more wins this year.

My biggest complaint about some of the past coaches even before St. Joe is letting the easy wins (or Q4 leads) slip away. I would be happy with any friggin coach who can hold leads and close out teams (hell, isnt this what every NFC East game comes down to?!)

Posted by: PapsinManila

You sound like Jla. You just can't smell the stench in Manila. Holy crap.

Good team getting better that is what gibbs left us. Saunders called the plays but now we have Zorn.

All that I'm saying is that it was time for a change, and Gibbs knew it. In a way, maybe a big way depending on how this plays out, he did the organization a favor by pulling the plug a year early. Blasphamy I know. Snyder has hundreds of millions of dollars vested on the success of this team. He's consistently done everything he possibly could to build a winner here. Maybe his efforts will pay off this time??

Posted by: castro1234 |

Oh no you Dihent.

"I'm saying is that it was time for a change" lets put Vinny in charge.

1bff, I am one who can't stomach the Gibbs criticism, but I won't even attempt to argue that it's totally unfounded or out of bounds after his four middling years here. So go for it. Pile on the greatest coach in the franchise's history. How's it feel? Pretty good, right? And we're left with... oh right, we're left with whatever dude decides to come work for Snyderrato. Fan-freaking-tastic.

I can think of only one person who could be both a big name Danny loves and the trust of Redskins fans everywhere, RUSS GRIM. I don't know if he fits with the coordinators we've hired or anything, but he has been a popular name thrown around for coaching searches the last couple years and is up for the Hall of Fame this year. Obviously he is a hog and would have the support of Redskins faithful. Plus he seems to be a pretty good coach. Have we looked at him at all? Why has his name not been mentioned?

Mul - just trying to keep an open mind because we are not bringing in a coach with the same level of control (and reverence) that Joe had. With Vinny now firmly in control of the roster, my anger will be directed in his direction next season.

Good team which was getting better, I agree. But they've blown up that momentum now, haven't they, with Saunders and GG out? Players are pissed and/or confused of what's next.

nateinthePDX, unfortunately I think that you ignored the first paragraph of my post. Gibbs is it in my mind. Greatest Skins coach ever. Great run in the 1980's and I will never forget it! As for his return, the numbers do not lie. There's no "Gibbs bashing" in being honest it either. Funny thing is that I think he would be the first person on the planet to say the same thing. It was time for a change...

mul, try bringing a point. playing off of other posts has to get old after a while huh?

Previously, Gibbs/Vinny/Dan all had input on the roster moves. Now with his promotion, its clearly Vinny's. Its his hot seat now. I will be the first one to call for Vinny's head if the roster moves and contract renegotiations go sour and we lose key guys.

Keep bringing the heat, Mul - but calling for Danny's head is pointless, IMHO. He owns the team and has built up a lucrative franchise. He is not going to sell it no matter how pissed we get about his FO personnel decisions. We all feel like we are (or deserve to be) Redskin shareholders, but we unfortunately are not.

I have said before Dan can be pressured with the Green and public outcry (remember Marty) . Redskin fans are the smartest in the world ,on average, so just because other owners could hold teams hostege does not mean Snyder can.

Vinny and Dan have had a go. Bruce, carrier, Jeff F George I am going to puke now.

Now is your chance. Going from 1999 to 2004 and the last two weeks (Vinny was gone for a year under Marty). Make a case for Vinny as a GM. Don't just hope. Tell me Vinny is not just a yes Man that is a scout and no more. Tell me other teams would want him as a GM.

It seems that if a coach currently with another team is being interviewed, word would get out because of the interview request/notification required. That would seem to eliminate the following coaches from consideration:

Bill Belichick
Mike Holmgren
John Gruden
Mike Shanahan
Russ Grimm

However, former coaches who are not currently in the NFL would not require the same notification, making it more likely that the "mystery candidate" comes from those ranks. That list might include such coaches as:

Another issue to be considered is that much of the press leakage regarding all interviewed candidates has been coming from those coaches' agents. Given that, it seems likely that the mystery candidate either: 1) doesn't currently have an agent; or 2) has told the agent to say nothing. Since #2 is less likely, it might be safe to eliminate the college coaches, since they generally have agents.

Taking those factors into consideration (or not), one of the following issues might be in play:

1) Bill Cowher keeps saying "no", but Snyder has a lot of money to try and change that to a "yes". Sure, Cowher looks like he is destined to go to Carolina next year, but given the right money and control and conditions, anything is possible.

2) Steve Mariucci is alleged to have conducted secret negotiations with the Arizona Cardinals last year regarding the Head Coach position that eventually went to Whisenhunt. There is no reason to believe he might not be doing the same thing again this year with the Redskins.

4) Gibbs and Vermeil also have a lengthy relationship in coaching. And it's hard to imagine more continuity in the offense than having Al Saunders working for Vermeil again, with Grilliams in charge of the defense as always.

In any case, it seems that whatever is going to happen will happen soon. This is a non-news week in the NFL, so as good a time as any for Snyder to make some kind of "plash".

Before coming to Washington, Vinny Cerrato spent nine seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, including their Super Bowl XXX year in 1994. He joined San Francisco in 1991 as Director of College Scouting, helping to draft players including Ted Washington, Ricky Watters, Dana Stubblefield and Bryant Young. In 1995, Cerrato was promoted to Director of Player Personnel, overseeing all college scouting and draft activities as well as pro scouting of NFL players and opponents. Again, Cerrato made an impact as his drafts produced such standouts as Terrell Owens, Lee Woodall and Lance Schulters.

***

Steve Mariucci, 47, had a successful six-year head coaching tenure with the San Francisco 49ers. He compiled a 57-39 (.594) regular season record, while his teams earned playoff berths four times (1997, 1998, 2001 and 2002). Including postseason games, Mariucci's NFL coaching record stands at 60-43 (.583), and he has an overall mark of 38-14 (.731) at home.

Mariucci delved into the head coaching ranks at the Division I college level by leading the Bears football program at the University of California in 1996. His rather young program battled to a 6-5 record and earned a spot in the Aloha Bowl. As he implemented the West Coast system, the Bears offense averaged 457.6 yards per game, including a school record for passing yards (321.5 per game.)

While serving as quarterbacks coach in Green Bay from 1992-95, Mariucci supervised the day-to-day evolution of Brett Favre from traded back-up quarterback to an NFL superstar of success, durability and longevity. Favre started his amazing run of 173 consecutive starts at quarterback in 1992, which was Mariucci's first year in Green Bay. He coached Favre to three Pro Bowl nods (1992-93, '95 seasons) and to NFL MVP in 1995. Other quarterbacks Mariucci developed during that time included Mark Brunell and current Lions backup Ty Detmer.

The ability to generate an about-face turnaround under adverse conditions is essential while building a successful organization. Mariucci proved this quality as a coach by navigating an organization through a stormy period and returning it to a winner, and as a player when he commanded a winless college football program and quarterbacked it to a national championship.

As of the announcemnet last week, Vinny Ceratto is effectively the General Manager now. That will be a good thing as an end result if Snyder actually makes Vinny accountable for the final product. Vinny has probablt lobbied Snyder for years for this opportunity; now he has it - finally. Time to put up or shut up.

He got fired qas HC in NY because he "lost" the players (they tuned him out).

He lost his OC job in Baltimore because the offense sucked.

The Redskins' new Head Coach needs to keep the team focused and heading in one direction, as they were late in 2007. And the offense needs to continue to make positive strides in 2008 - going backward is unacceptable.

More from the "Interesting Facts" file (and pieced together from about 14 different info sources), FWIW:

Steve Mariucci, as coach of the 49ers, apparently had minimal input in personnel matters as a Head Coach. Bill Walsh was his General Manager until 2000. Terry Donahue was the GM following Walsh, beginning in 2001. Mariucci's demise as Head Coach apparently resulted from a dispute with 49ers management/ownership after the 2002 season, specifically his role with regard to personnel issues.

Mariucci had a good relationship with Walsh (who hired Mariucci). However, Donahue was an outsider who was brought in to replace Walsh, and his relationship with Mariucci was not as solid. The dispute which Mariucci lost after the 2002 season was primarily with Donahue.

The relationship between Mariucci and Vinny Ceratto appears to be good, according to all reports.

sellers won't fit in the west coast call me crazy if you wish but betts would be a much better fb. sellers can provide you with short catches but betts can split out wide as well as down the seams he causes major problems if you line him and portis up together.

Joe Gibbs' pedigree as an assistant coach was on the West Coast, primarily influenced by the legendary "Air Coryell" system. It was a "pass, pass, pass" offense, with little emphasis on a ground attack. Gibbs modified the Coryell offense upon arriving in DC, primarily because of the presence of John Riggins, and the predominant style that was played in the NFC East.

After the retirement of Riggins, the primary running attack was from running backs like Joe Washington/Ernest Byner and the bulk of the offense shifted to the air (Monk, Clark, Sanders). So without the fancy name, Gibbs was running a modified version of the West Coast offense, although it was never really acknowledged as such.

Portis is no Riggins (who is?), but he definitely bears a resemblance to Washington/Byner/Hearst/et al. All the Skins need is a few reliable tall receivers.

Conclusion: Grimm may not exactly fit the current or projected system, since the "old" Gibbs system wasn't working in version 2.0.

VinnyDan can not be parted they are Master-Blaster. But Vinny has been doing a good job so far.

Posted by: mul | January 28, 2008 04:14 AM

Mul,

That was the point - we WERE doing the WC offense (more or less) from 1987-2002, in the latter part of Gibbs 1.0. Even Al Saunders' offense has pieces of the WC in it - the modern offensive systems in the NFL are all hybrids which encompass the best of the WC, RnS, and Air Coryell. However, unless you have the next reincarnation of Riggins (or maybe even Stephen Davis), the old NFC East offense is tough to run successfully.

I'm not done with you mully boy. You are a marked man. Prepare yourself for the second coming of your worst fears. Your intuition about all things Redskins related is about to betray you, reveal you for the ill-informed wankus you truly are.

I've been reading your posts, and find you to be a condescending little prick. Anyone who dares go against popular sentiment, you insult, and do so in a way that is most unintelligible.

Do you take comfort in judging others, my little mullet man? Do you not realize the importance of humility?

You will learn your lesson, mullet man, if not on this blog, then in some other manner. The laws of the universe will teach you these things, in one way or another.

I'm just not feeling the same enthusiasm for Mariucci as most people on here. To be fair though, I'll have my doubts about any coach who takes this job now given that they'll merely be dancing to VinnyDan's tune. I would think that any coach worth his salt would at least make sure that he was working with assistants that he had chosen - not ones that the owner and his lap dog had chosen for him. How can the players respect a coach that has had his balls cut off by the owner??? I'm worried that whoever takes this job isn't motivated by the desire to win and be succesful - I'm worried that their main motivation for taking this job is the money that Dan is going to throw at him.

I'll start by saying that Mooch would definitely be the best choice of the guys they've spoken to already. Having said that, the biggest problem this would bring about is another change in philosophy. The main reason why the Redskins aren't the team they were in the '80s under Gibbs is because they have no identity. If you look at Pittsburgh and now New England, those teams have an identity. And their coaching hires and player acquisitions reflect that identity. On offense alone, in the last 8 years, they've gone from Norv, to Martyball, to the Fun-N-Gun, to Gibbs, and now presumably, the West Coast Offense. You have to decide what you're going to be as an organization and stick to it. If you want to be a smashmouth Gibbs team (which is what got you the 3 trophies you trot out with every misguided hire), then you need a coach who embodies that (RUSS GRIMM!!!!). Until Snyder starts worrying more about the football operation running efficiently in the win column and less about whether the fans will be willing to pay ridiculous prices for it, he could hire Mooch or the Gooch---the 'Skins will remain mediocre.

So for the past few days folks have been characterizing us as "Oakland East" or "Washington Raiders." Now, Dan Snyder and Al Davis are competing for the same coach?

No wonder Dan's trying to keep a lid on this. How would it look if we (a playoff team) actually lost Mariucci to the Raiders (a layoff team)? We'd be left with saying "his wife wants to live in California"? Or, "He only wants to come to Washington if he can be elected to the Senate?"

Mariucci did well in SF. He started with Young and Rice, but those two left/retired and he rebuilt with Garcia and Owens with only two years below .500 - he was gone after a 10-6 season which they have yet to match, even with the same roster the next year.

You can't even look at his time in Detroit. His starting QB, RB, and WR were Harrington, Bryson, and Hakim. That team actually statistically got better every year when he was there, but they were bad and still are.

I do worry about his ability to hold things together when it gets tough.

I'm all for Mooch. I think he would be a great fit for our Offensive personnel. Especially with Zorn. Match that up with Blache running our same Defense and that sounds like a pretty good winning recipe to me. PLEASE DON'T LET IT BE FOSSEL! I'LL SERIOUSLY HAVE TO TURN IN MY SKINS MEMBERSHIP CARD IF IT IS!

Great article and research. Anyone but Fassell. Does this remind anyone of Jerry Jones last year hiring all of his Coordinators and then hiring someone no one expected? I agree that anything done in Detroit should not count. Shoot, Wayne Fontes was probably a pretty good coach.

Mar also makes sense to me. The Danny loves his HC to be an Offensive type, (why it was probably hard to sell GW).

I need to be fair to Fassell about one thing. No one in the NFL can get that Hon's Offense to play more then 1/2 a game... ever... period. The Hon's offense was a 1 trick pony for the past 7 years, that pony was named Jamal Lewis. They have never had a QB, over their entire history worth mentioning cept a washed up McNair. Never had a good WR setup. They were the definitive, Run 3 downs if you get the first try it again team who always wanted to pass the ball but that can get complicated. That said I don't want him as HC for our team.

Much like I give Mooch the pass for his time in the Ford Dome I got to give Jimbo a pass for the Hon's. However Jim's a terrible motivator, end of discussion.

I feel like to doctor just told me I have a brain tumor and have one week to live . . . oh, just kidding, we'll have to amputate your left foot, though. Now, had the doct told me he'd have to amputate without the negative build-up, that woulda sucked, but compared to a tumor, I'll take missing a left foot anyday. Especially since I have another one.

Here is the name of one up and coming HC who MAY be available and who hasn't been mentioned: Lane Kiffen.

As far as Bugel goes, he's OC material not a HC. Based on his run in SF (and in spite of what happened in Detroit -- but hey, it gave him experience working with crappy front office personnel) Mariucci would certainly go down easier than "All In Jim".

I really would have LOVED for SINGLETARY to have gotten interviewed, though! I'm a huge fan. As far as Grimm, there absolutely MUST be a reason he wasn't really even considered in PIT for HC when Cowher retired. Great player, but something about him as coach we don't know? Maybe a good assistant, but may not always translate to HC material.

Mooch proved in Detroit that he is not a team builder or player developer. He is a good driver of the bus for a team that is already good.

As for the West Coast Offense, Jason C. does not seem to have the touch for it. It seems to highlight many of his weaknesses.

As a football fan, I find the west coast offense pretty boring. It is almost like almost like watching an option team (Navy is the only option team I have ever found fun to watch).

The skins are doomed for a lot of losing no matter what HC they pick. Where the skins are now, their best shot now is any coach but the much despised Fassel if only to try to heal the rift between the fans and the organization.

My wife's uncle is friends with him. They used to be work-out partners over here in Washington before he made the team. Everytime the Skins come to town, he gets her uncle a ticket. Once when asked for an autograph he took the jersey he was wearing off his back (at a bar) signed it and gave it to the woman.

He would have gone back into that Vikings game if the NFL didn't have that new rule about concussions.

Tough guy who plays with emotion and fire on the field. They need more guys like that if you ask me.

But.... flag on the play. 10 yard livin in the past penalty, on everyone suggesting Grimm.

Grimm hasnt gotten a sniff, and it aint gonna happen. Having Gibbs makes eveyone nostalgic for the old skins of running the ball. But we all saw from gibbs that it was outdated. Maybe Grimm has a more up-to-date style. But clamoring for a connection to the past is not what we need. You realize that way of playing football ended with Bill Walsh and his tree. It is 2008!! Not 1998, not 1988. So lets stop clamoring for football of the 80's and early 90's.

So that said, Mooch is a good choice. He got a raw deal in San Fran and never had a chance in Det.

it seems like people are getting pretty desperate on this blog, with a lot "fine by me" endorsement for marriucci. snyder has really lowered the standard around here with all this jim fassel talk.

i won't lie, marriucci looks like a golden hire when compared to fassel. i just wonder what our reactions would've been had marriucci been the first name to come out immediately following gibbs' retirement. i'd be willing to bet we wouldn't have been so favorable to him.

At this point, IMHO, Dan Snyder has run the Washington Redskins organization into the hole so deep that only the Oakland Raiders are a worse run NFL franchise.

I think Snyder had a chance, via learning at the feet of Gibbs, to become a good owner. He had the chance, via the "rub" off of Gibbs to turn his image around, both in the NFL and DC. He spoke of family when Taylor passed away and continuity when Gibbs retired.

Instead, he went back to as I put it, "I'm Danny Snyder, I own this team and it's my playtoy. My buddy Vinny and I are going to play and the rest of you can watch, or not, we don't care."

Dan Snyder has lost every single bit of goodwill that he built up during his association with Joe Gibbs. He's, incredibly, now worse off in terms of respect from fans that he was before Gibbs came back.

It doesn't matter who he brings in now, I believe, this team is consigned to 5-11 for a number of seasons. Even worse, Daniel Snyder, alone, has destroyed the return of fans feeling like the Skins were going places and were a family; a union of team and DC area.

Jack Kent Cooke, sadly, he will never be. Until Snyder, someday, sells the team, we will never come close to the success and area pride that we used to have from the Redskins.

Who really wants the Head Coaching job now? Really, who wants to work for Dan Snyder? You're either a Head Coach reject who can't get a job or an assistant wanting to move up for the first time. In all cases, you figure that you'll put in a few years, do as well as possible and wait to get fired or get a better job. When you interview, you just say that, like with Al Davis, you worked for Snyder and teams will, immediately, understand. Again, just one lifelong fan's expressed opinion.

Whoever he hires as Head Coach starts off with near zero loyalty or good feelings from the fans. Snyder's true colors showed through with how he handled Greg Williams.

Joe Gibbs should, publicly, announce that he is finished with the Redskins and end all association with the team. Let Danny and Vinny be the juvenile deliquents that a rich little boy and his buddy can be.

All of you nocturnal nerds have missed the point entirely. It doesn't matter who gets the HC job. Next year, assuming that Cowher follows the party line, Danny boy will give the heave ho to whoever is the placeholder and pony up a zillion of his ill gotten booty to assure that "The Jaw" lands in FedEx field. We'll go through yet another change, and the chances for me to see another Lombardy trophy hoisted locally will go the way of the Dan Quayle presidency. How do I get one of those tee shirts begging Snyder to sell the team?

Per Rotoworld :
"Jim Fassel is expected to be named the Redskins' head coach the Monday or Tuesday following the Super Bowl, according to ESPN's John Clayton.

Fassel approved of Jim Zorn's hiring to call plays and DC Greg Blache's promotion. He remains the lead candidate, but Colts defensive coordinator Ron Meeks has a second interview planned for Tuesday, and Steve Mariucci and Steve Spagnuolo are believed to be on owner Dan Snyder's radar. "

Is it just me, or does John Clayton look like and elf from the clay-mation Rudolph the red nosed reindeer cartton like thing they play every holiday season?

It's pretty obvious that Tom Cruise is to blame here. DannyBoy has secretly converted to Scientology. Nothing else explains the decisions by DannyBoy.

So, I forsee DannyBoy calling an emergency news conference today, which means all Washington DC stations will carry this "emergency session" as opposed to the boring state of the union featuring the the great builder of the national economy (Iraq's) to announce.....
Drum roll please...
"Coach" Craig T. Nelson as our new Redskins coach.
That Jason Campbell has been traded for some additional "synergies" with Hollywood and Madison Ave. Jason stars in new some Campbell soup commercials and occasional plays quarterback for LA Raiders.

Tom "All the right moves" Cruise takes over as new Redskins quarterback and Redskins merchandise sales go through the roof and for the first time beat the Dallas Cowboys and LA Raiders ...
...in NFL merchandise sales - the Holy Grail for DannyBoy - better than the Super Bowl!

Quick question... What experience does Jim Zorn have as a Coordinator? What philosophy does he subscribe to? All of the Coordinators out there in the College and Pro ranks.. and we found this guy? Can you spell S-T-U-P-I-D-I-T-Y??

Joe Gibbs should, publicly, announce that he is finished with the Redskins and end all association with the team. Let Danny and Vinny be the juvenile deliquents that a rich little boy and his buddy can be.

tcmits I couldn't agree with you more. He just need to step away from this fool.

Flag on you Zebra and all else that question Grimm's ability as a coach or potential HC. You just ain't following the NFL. The Steelers wanted a full anti-cowher break thats why Grimm and Whizzy didnt get it. If Grimm sucks as a coach why did Cowher block all attempts by Gibbs to snag him as OC during the "return", Grimm turned down the chance to be Raiders coach for obvious reasons. Also just b/c he hasn't gotten any interviews doesn't mean siht. This is a popularity follow the leader league, so every year guys like Spags who are coming off glamorous year get thrown out.

Look at Grimm's track record as a cord in Pitts (lead league in rushing, beast O-Line, Young QB excelling, SB) and then read up on his work with the Cards. In one year, with losing L. Davis to Pukes, he improved the O-line immensely to the point where Kurt Warner (the man no one can protect) had a comeback of the year type season. IF the cards continue there improvement (and lets get real they were one missed FG against the skins away from the 6th seed this year) next season than his name will be "hot" again...

I mean were about to hire Jim Fassel, you wouldnt rather give Grimm a shot pulheeze!

And flag 2 on Zebra, this aint no nostalgia kick dude, Grimm has been coaching since the day he quit as a player. Worked for some one of the best coaches of the last 20 years. And to talk about how this isnt the 80/90s and then in the same breath endorse Mooch is just contradictory.....

Interesting Theory there. That all ties up into a nice lil bow doesn't it? It just has...to be something like this doesn't it? That mess of a release about...out of respect to the super bowl, they are going to wait until after the game. Man please. I think it's to give himself time to try and get something laid out...with say Mariucci or someone along those lines. I think Fassel is the fall back guy. They are comfortable with him if nothing comes through, but they still want the splash hire. They want all the attention off the super bowl to be over, so the focus can be on their choice for a coach. Just my opinion. The whole west-coast connection to zorn is also interesting. Honestly, somebody wake me when the coach is hired. I'm tired of all of this.

And I really doubt if Grimm wasnt a hog, he would not be on all of the skins fans radar.

But again, he wasnt the o coord at pitt, Whiszy was.

I dont say our running game is good because of byner or some other position specific coach (although many do say buges was the impetus for our running game).

But I agree, he has pedigree, but most peeps are clamoring not b/c they know about him, but b/c he used to play for gibbs and would be a way to keep that gibbsian offense around. So I should have qualified my flag with MOST, not everyone.

Anyway, i agrre the flag was hasty, and yes I would take him over fassel, but at this point clamoring for him is like continuing to clamor for williams... it seems pointless.

I love a good conspiracy theory and this is a great one. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if The Danny intentionally went the Fassel route as a way to butter up Redskins nation to the Mooch. Maybe that's too diabolical to be trusted, but after hearing about Fassel, Redskins Nation went beserk and now Mooch seems reasonable.

Another note, I was watching some ESPN the other day and they showed the highlight/recap of the Giants-Ravens super bowl from a few years ago. I had forgotten that the two coaches in that game were Fossel-Billick. So all those comments about those guys getting to a super bowl are definitely taken into context now since they coached against each other and someone had to win. (It was an offensive nightmare.)

I thought this was a newspaper? I also thought this is the so called Redskin Insider??? Well this isn't news, and definelty isn't some inside scoop...we can all sit around the water cooler and speculate, except the Post isn't wasting money on us like they are with you Jason...please report the facts not a bunch of guessing. Personally i'm pretty fed up with hearing about what the Danny and his cousin Vinny are up to, stop it now don't come back with a story until we have something concrete. Doesn't matter anyhow i've already decided whoever comes in it isn't worth renewing the season tickets and I have great seats lower level right behind the hogettes, so it's not because i'm unhappy sitting in the nosebleed section...

I thought this was a newspaper? I also thought this is the so called Redskin Insider??? Well this isn't news, and definelty isn't some inside scoop...we can all sit around the water cooler and speculate, except the Post isn't wasting money on us like they are with you Jason...please report the facts not a bunch of guessing. Personally i'm pretty fed up with hearing about what the Danny and his cousin Vinny are up to, stop it now don't come back with a story until we have something concrete. Doesn't matter anyhow i've already decided whoever comes in it isn't worth renewing the season tickets and I have great seats lower level right behind the hogettes, so it's not because i'm unhappy sitting in the nosebleed section...

Elsewhere in the NFL this week... The undefeated Patriots (boo! hiss!) attempt to make history by beating the perennially underachieving Eloy Manning (ha ha!) and the Giants in the Super Bowl (darn!) this weekend.

We now return you to your "all strife, all the time" round the clock "Redskins search for a coach". Over to Jason La Canfora who is now living out of his Chevy Geo at Redskins Park, Ashburn for a fifteenth consecutive day....

"Thanks CynCyty, I'm walking over to the newly-installed 'Redskins Thunderdome' where Jim Fossil, Ron Meeks, and Steve Mariachi are being oiled up before entering. The lifeless, limbless body of Greggggggg Williams was removed earlier after his defeat in the previous elemination round.

Remember the rules are very simple: three men enter, one man leaves. We now go over live to the Thunderdome, where Michael Buffer will make the introductions. Your referee tonight is Mills Lane..."

I thought this was a newspaper? I also thought this is the so called Redskin Insider??? Well this isn't news, and definelty isn't some inside scoop...we can all sit around the water cooler and speculate, except the Post isn't wasting money on us like they are with you Jason...please report the facts not a bunch of guessing. Personally i'm pretty fed up with hearing about what the Danny and his cousin Vinny are up to, stop it now don't come back with a story until we have something concrete.

Posted by: papaskynz | January 28, 2008 09:33 AM

That's a bit harsh. First of all, this isn't a newspaper, it's a blog. Secondly, what's wrong with a bit of speculation and educated guessing? Lighten up a bit eh? This whole saga has been depressing enough without this sort of moralistic grumbling.

before you go breaking your arm patting yo own back, scroll up, I already defended Seller's honor, with I think a better arguement. Although your right he does catch some good balls...

so you and me bro, we laid the smack down on that lame post...but you ain't the only non-moron swingin soul up here!

Posted by: chrislarry | January 28, 2008 12:50 AM

Sorry Chris didn't catch this until this morning. Wasn't breaking my arm patting my own back, don't get much joy outta stating the obvious and was just defending what was already stated and what I believe to be true. Good call.

Ok the person who put that works for Dan, they also put Joe Montana. Westbrook is a pass catcher protis more of a running running back. If you check a few post up you will see the difference between Denver and the Redskins.

Go to sleep. Don't do the work of Dans PR people for them.

What do you think our recored will be in 2 years?

How do you like Vinny as GM?

Posted by: mul | January 28, 2008 12:54 AM

Sorry mul, didn't catch this one til this morning either. I took your advice and went to bed. I do understand that this will be a different offense than in Denver and Portis isn't as much of a pass catcher as he is a runner, but he showed it's an option for him and can maybe develop it a little. As far as Vinny is concerned, consumate professional YES man. Incapable of making any real (good) decisions on his own.

Whatever...see I know the WP has another motive behind anything they put here since the Danny took back what a 100 tickets or so from them for selling them for profit instead of using them as they were distributed for... The skins are being so secretive about who they talk to as if this were a clandestant C.I.A. or top White House officials running some cloak and dagger operation....

They say in Washington that the job of President is the second most important job in the city. So I guess it fits that the Head Coach search is stretching on like the primary season. Personally, I hope we hire someone who will, like, win and stuff.

This is off-topic, so please consider my comments "dribble," but i'm curious who is everyone rooting for in the superbowl?

I'm actually rooting for the Giants.

The Giants are my least-hated division rival. I absolutely hate the patriots though. I'm sick and tired of them winning, and they showed no class when we played them this year by running up the score. There's nothing i'd like to see more than their undefeated season ending with a loss in the superbowl to the Giants - a team that really isnt even that good.

Snyder is ruining the Redskins and nothing will be back on the right track until he finally gives in and hires a GM.

Posted by: dayard_46 | January 28, 2008 10:11 AM

I think you can only interpret the promotion (promotion!? promotion!?!) of Vinny to Extraterrestrial Vice President means that The Owner has asserted that there will never be a GM 'on his watch', let alone an 'indepedent GM' which is what you probably want/need.

Wonder why Snyder did all the interviewing at his house (mansion), do you think it was just to show off how much money he has? Money don't make the man!! It takes more than money to have class. As long as he's driving this train the skins will be nothing to even care about.

I'm for the Giants as well. I would have been for any NFC team except Dallas against the Patriots. Boston fans have become spoiled and arrogant and beyond annoying. I hope the Pats lose so Bostonians everywhere will be forced to drown their sorrows in large sized pitchers of beer. Otherwise we're never going to hear the end of the talk about the "team of the century" etc.

Even during the height of the Jordan era, Chicago fans were never as insufferable as Bostonians these days. Of course, Chicago had one team doing well and Boston has 3...

My 'futility' remark was aimed at two specific things Greg, neither of which are actually about the 'product on the field' which you won;t have any idea of for months now.

Firstly, the whole search has been a Public Relations fiasco from beginning to end, which I never would have expected from a 'marketing genius' such as your team's owner. Secondly, the underlying impression here is that the owner is exhibiting a 'stress behaviour' here. Autocratic personalities tend to become MORE autocratic under stress. Would anyone here really suggest that snyder is learning to 'let go and trust the professionals' in this pursuit? Unless you count Vinny, which in all good conscience I can't, then the evidence is growing that he's looking to assert MORE control, not less. And he's simply not qualified to do that.

Maybe I'm wrong, and I hope for you guys that I am, but I fear I'm not.

I think Snyder & Cerrato was reallying going to smear Double G with the Joe Gibbs angle, but it got leaked out to the press, so Snyder & Cerrato had to deny that rumor...even to Double G's face when he asked them about it. Snyder & Cerrato are liars.

I don't really see Mooch as any better than Fassel other than the fact that he is far more media friendly.

What i figure it is Marrichoochi is either:

A: Smart and learned that having a bad gm is a death knell to an organization that coaching can't over come. The only GM worse than Matt Millen is Dan Snyder and therefore he'll pass having learned from Detroit.

B: Studpid and hasn't learned. In which case I don't want him. If he fails this time with the skins he'll be a coaching joke and end up like Norv. His only option to inherit a 14-2 team and take them to the championship game....wait, that can't possibly be right.

Marlo is bad pepes, cheese is a chump. I have a bad feeling that Omar gets got and Marlo lives. I don't care about any other char but I hope Omar gets his man, he was already denied one kingpin. He should get Marlo and Snoop. Maybe Chris and Michael make it out alive.

nate, you underestimate yourself but that's what we're here for to support eachother. we'll help you get over your "addiction". one way to look at this as that skins have been kidnapped and tell yourself that they're not on tv anymore. they've been coltized overnight and no one can find the team anymore.

diddy, are you still unemployed? if yes then i got some work for you. snider family "only" owns 60% if not less of the skins and danny himself probly owns 40% at most. so what you have to do is get a group of investors from NW come up with a billion dollars and buy the majority of the shares or at least 40% of the shares and then start working on a hostile takeover. it can be done.

billion $'s isn't what it used to be. especially if you bought gold at $150. come on! put your money where your heart is. together we can do this.

okay where was i...ohh yeah...i finally understand why people "hate" brady. people, it's not his fault that the media just is sickening arghhh. i almost puked when i heard the stuff that was being said about him. and i think he's the best qb ever. yuck! media, he's only an athlete!

also love the turtle but that venzuelan kid needs to calm the hell down. he was responsible for that loss alone. garry, cut his minutes until he learns to control himself. the box score doesn't do justice. gist had 26 points! 26!!!! hello?! and the big little dude inside omblae bomblae was a beast!

but guard play gary, guard play...c'mon this is a good team garry. F the haters!

Hard to do a hostile takeover of the 'Skins when the overwhelming majority of the ownership stake is "Mr." Snyder and a couple of his friends. Remember, shortly after he purchased the team, he bought out the majority of his partners. It's a pipe dream to wish he were gone. He's going to be there for a long time, and, unlike Mr. Cooke (whose relationship with his children was...strange), "Mr." Snyder will likely bequeath the bulk of the team to his children in a more tax-advantaged manner.

As the unofficial cheerleader for the hiring or Russ Grimm as head coach of the burgundy and gold, I have to clear up something I've seen a few times here: Grimm was a very serious contender for the Steeler job. He just didn't get it because Mike Tomlin was THAT good. Have you heard the guy talk? Only Tomlin and Herm Edwards make me want to put on a helmet and run through a brick wall when I hear them coach! So if not for the Rooney Rule, it's quite possible, if not likely, that Grimm is the Steeler coach today. League insiders pretty much agree that Grimm is going to be a fine head coach, I just think that he's being hindered by the perception that he's not ready because he hasn't been a coordinator yet. But neither was Andy Reid, but he's doing pretty well in Philly last I checked. So let's go get Grimm! It's the perfect fit!

Dan Snyder will hire exactly the person that he wants to be HC, including Jim Fassel or any other smuck he considers to be enough of a 'Big Fish'. Public sentiment is meaningless to him; otherwise, Mr. Vinny Cerrato would never have been promoted to his new post with the Skins. This guy is repeatedly 'torn and tettered' by fans/bloggers and has it made any impact?

There is one potential very positive outcome if the Patriots win the Super Bowl - maybe we won't have to hear about the '72 Dolphins any more. I'd like the Patriots to win just so we never have to hear from Shula and company ever again.

Um....saying that Sndyer is looking to hire a 'big-fish' and then listing Jim Fassell, or Steve Mooch, contradicts itself. Neither is considered a big fish, so the media inspired, "Dan is looking for the glitzy hire" is currently false. The "big fish" guys are Cowher, and Carroll, neither of which is in the running, so the "big fish/big splash" hire theory isn't happening.

And for the record, Public sentiment should mean nothing to him. You think Bill Belicheat was worried about public sentiment when he traded for Randy Moss, or cut Lawyer Malloy, or traded Deion Branch? Nope...not once....

4-12, yes, it's ovah. indifference is setting in. come let's talk about movies and clothes and hostile takeovers and price of gold and the falling dollar and obama's thumping of hillary in south carolina and yes maps. let's talk about giselle...good god! let's talk about TK stack money back on the air. about the fact that he didn't like men in blue show. who does? talk about that new vegas commercial...where is that martini glass with two gorgeous women?

At this point I don't have a problem with Mariucci or Fassel. Although I think it would be a little strange for them to wait until after the SB if it's Fassel. I don't know what Meeks' relationship with Zorn and Blache is so I don't have an opinion on him. Even though they handled it horribly, by firing Williams at least they ended that soap opera and can move on.

Nightmare scenario? They fall in love with Spagnolo, hire him - and then Williams becomes new D-coordinator for the Giants and Snyder's bad karma comes back to haunt us twice a year.

It was a pretty sedate weekend, all things considered. Certainly nothing compared to Vegas in my foolish early 30s (last year) :-) Wish I had some great stories, but I ate well, won some money, and knew when to walk away from the tables. Being old isn't nearly as fun as being young and dumb.

Wonder why Snyder did all the interviewing at his house (mansion), do you think it was just to show off how much money he has?

Posted by: dtrhodes | January 28, 2008 10:21 AM

Unlike Redskins Park which has lots of loose lips to whisper about such things as a coach search to reporters, Dan's Manse has better security, better food, and a better flatscreen attached to the Playstation.

Whoever ends up being the HC, they'll be better than having Williams and Saunders... Those guys just weren't cutting it and would have been gone in a year anyway.
Only problem I have with Snyder right now is promoting Cerrato.. Hopefully he brings in someone like Mariucci to help with personnel decisions.

It sure appears that indifference is setting in. It's probably the only way to keep sane (and your fanhood)during this embarrassing process. In all honesty, does it really matter who gets hired? If Gibbs can't even break .500 here, what makes anyone think that Mooch or Fassel or my guy Grimm can do any better? As perfect a fit as Grimm is, I almost hope he DOESN'T get the job so his reputation stays intact...

The Skins have been Coryell style offense every year but three in the 27 seasons since 1981: Martyball in 2001, and the Chuck and Duck by Spurrier in 2002-2003.

The Skins are a Coryell offense team.

What's Chris Cooley going to do in the West Coast offense? What do you need deep threat Santana Moss for in a West Coast offense?

If you hire Mooch, you need to get rid of Campbell and bring in a competent West Coast QB. Let Campbell go to Kansas City or Green Bay or somewhere he can use his developing abilities in the Coryell scheme.

Question for all the "Mr." Snyder defenders up here... (first noting that I'm in the camp of "get this done and I'll root for whomever is the head coach as long as it isn't a Dallas Cowboys guy")

If the team stinks it up next year, are we allowed in your eyes to rail against the incompetence of the owner?

Because, honestly, I don't see where the 'Skins are headed in the "right direction". Sure, the QB is young and getting experience. But the offensive line is old, the defensive backfield is a mess, the linebackers are old and/or injured, and the receivers are all midgets. This team underperformed for the bulk of last year, and were it not for a great/lucky challenge in Minnesota and the luck of playing a Dallas team that nothing to play for in its own right, the team may not have even made the playoffs.

I see a rebuilding year in our future. Which, in some perverse way, benefits us since "Mr." Snyder has so much experience with rebuilding years during his tenure with the 'Skins...

I'm a 49er fan for a long time so I know the connection between Vinny and Mooch. They were both famously associated with picking Jim Druckenmiller as the next Joe Montana-Steve Young. Well, that pick was the worst ever. Don't do it. Don't pick Mooch. What you need to do is fire Vinny. Hire a strong GM. Then pick out a coach.

But Snyder's problem is that he WON'T rebuild! This team has needed to rebuild in a major way for years, and he insists on putting a band-aid over the gun-shot wound that is this old, over-priced roster. The best thing this team could do is purge the roster of all the high-priced free agent pick-ups (i.e.-Clinton Portis, Marcus Washington, Shawn Springs, Cornelius Griffin, etc.)and reload with draft picks. But that would require a competent front office and an actual dedication to doing things the right way...

I'm so sick and disgusted over this whole thing I honestly don't know what to do with myself.

And even more disturbing then the unprofessionalism and chaos that represent every single business day at Redskin park, are the fans (particularily on extremeskins.com) who still think this team and owner can do no wrong.

Understood Greg. Not well put, but it is a legitimate question to ask. Some of the chatter drifting around implies that The Owner didn't feel that his franchise QB was being given a proper chance to succeed.

There's no evidence that switching Jason to a West Coast offense - which doesn't really play to his strengths - would be the answer is there?

As for Portis, I dunno. He pretty definitively threw his lot in with Gibbs and Williams, so you'd have to wonder if he has the desire to bond the same way with a new HC. Players are notoriously fickle, but I get the sense that Portis is a little more of a thinker than most. And he's the sort of player that you need playing giving everything he's got, because he doesn't look nearly as good when he's not quite there.

What's Chris Cooley going to do in the West Coast offense? What do you need deep threat Santana Moss for in a West Coast offense?

Posted by: mirf59 | January 28, 2008 11:36 AM

Portis did OK in Denver a supposed West Coast offense. I have no idea about Campbell but I think Portis might would thrive in that system. The west coast has always utilized receiving TE's as well (bubba franks, dwight clark, the kid from MD who's in SF now) so I think Cooley will be fine. Totally agree with you about the WR's though. They would need a bigger WR to complement Moss - Hell they could use that regardless of the system.

The West Coast offense definately needs some big guys to catch stuff over the middle.

The West Coast offense has been so bastardized over the years that it almost doesn't exist anymore.

The issue of whether or not Cambell can run the West Coast does have me worried. Accuracy and Touch are the two things that stand out to me about the QB of the West Coast offense. Those don't seem to be his strong suits but who knows.

Also ITA all the Antisemites, racists, etc. It's truly not worth your time. They have to be stupid to even make those statements so why try and reason with them.

Hey laldies the Deadskin store in Ballston is closed forever. An omen of things to come I think so. What re you going to do when Danny Boy moves the team LA? Better a team run by a putz then no team at all!
Dan wants to be close to his new church in LA because of his conversion to Scientology!

clawrence, I just don't get the whole idea behind jumping the gun now?? mirf suggested that we need to trade campbell, and that Portis would be a flop. I mean, its just so stupid...and thats not even taking into consideration that the head coach hasn't even been NAMED yet....its laughable, it really is...in an unintentional humor kind of way.

J-Cam moves very well, both in the pocket and downfield. Those are big pluses in mutant WC style offense. Also needs WR that can move with ball on shorter patterns, Moss and ARE can do that. Now could we use a BB player type WR...of course...but lets see if Zorn can survey the talent and gameplam!

i was always under the impression that west coast offenses required smaller, quicker, better route runners as receivers, rather than "big" WRs. obviously a big WR could do those things, but it's not necessary. when rich gannon was lighting up the league for those couple years in oakland, his most prolific receivers were tim brown and jerry rice, along with charlie garner out of the backfield. none of those fit the "big" WR bill.

the patriots run a form of the west coast offense, and their receivers are all speed guys. randy moss is big, but he's not a possession type receiver that makes catches in traffic over the middle. he draws double coverage for one reason; because he's the most dangerous deep threat in the game. santana moss has the ability to have that effect on defenses. i liked caldwell and mccardell last year, and along with cooley and randle el, i think this team's WRs are fine for a west coast offense. the only question mark is whether they can stay healthy.

what i find hard to understand is how everyone is saying things like "i find it hard to understand what snyder meant by 'continuity?'"

uhhh, newsflash, Greg Blanche is our defensive coordinator and by all appearances, our defensive staff is remaining in-tact. apparently, some people had it stuck in their heads that continuity=greg williams as head coach. its understandable people might assume that, but deep down, we all had some reservations about GG as head coach.

Personally, my main concern was that our defense would be shaken up, especially with all those rumors about rex ryan.... well guess what? the defense that was in the top 10 in the NFL 3 out of the past 4 years is staying the same. And the guy who ruined the 2006 season by being arrogant and thinking he was so awesome and players didnt matter - greg williams - is gone. Our defense will be top 10 next year.

Our offense has been horrid for over a decade and gibbs did NOTHING to dramatically improve things during his 4 year tenure here. Al called ALOT of stupid plays this year and to be honest, our offense has needed alot of work for a long time.

no matter who our head coach becomes, i beleive we will have the continuity snyder spoke of - our defense will stay the same and our offense - which needed fixing - will be.

what is everyone still complaining about? All reservations I had about this whole mess were laid to rest when Blache and olivarti were extended.

BANG... late... I am over Gregg Williams now... I vented, I felt sorrow and now that it is beyond hope, I have moved on. That said, I think either Fassel or Mooch would be a great fit for this team. Both are players coaches, and both are great in front of the camera. I think Mooch is more a Snyder type. I think Fassel is a good X's and O's kind of guy. I think Meeks would appease a large segment of the Washington area and would have league wide appeal at many levels. Do I think that McDaniel is a great choice? Is Charlie Weiss a great coach in ND? One year of having the best team in the NFL with the best decision maker at QB in NFL history does not make him a bonafide solid candidate. Spagnuolo is a tough nosed guy, but another one year wonder... give me a little bit of a track record to go on.

Overall, it is still Mr Roboto Cerrato at the helm with Lord Helmet directing his every move... TomKat in the booth and a Napoleonic complex to boot... in the end, you do not win without horses... will we be wise? History does not bode well for us in Mr Roboto... time will tell... but I am coming from the position of show me... dont tell me.

"Personally, my main concern was that our defense would be shaken up, especially with all those rumors about rex ryan.... well guess what? the defense that was in the top 10 in the NFL 3 out of the past 4 years is staying the same."

yea, except for the fact that the unequivocal leader of that defense, the guy that created the scheme, brought the players in to fit the scheme, gameplanned the defense himself game in and game out, and altered it to be a top 10 defense 3 out of 4 years despite having only 1 pro bowl player has just been fired. but other than that, yes, everything is the same.

That Dr. Z article is a legendary piece of football history. It's one of my all-time favorite Dr. Z columns. As he writes, the "real" West Coast offense is the thing Sid Gillman employed (vertical passing game, power running game). Gillman begat Coryell who begat numerous coaches, including Ernie Zampese, St. Joe, Norv Turner, Charlie Weis, Mike Martz, Josh McDaniels, Tom Moore, and several others. The Walsh offense (what folks call the West Coast offense now) is the short passing game offense where the short passes are effectively runs.

I'm sitting here looking at my most prized piece of football memorabilia (well, apart from my autographed Heath Shuler jersey :-) ), a genuine Bill Walsh playbook from when he was the coach the second time around at Stanford. I was told by the guy who gave it to me (who played for Walsh at Stanford) that it was virtually identical to what he used in SF.

It is a misunderstanding to believe that the Walsh offense does not include a deep passing game. How many Montana to Rice bombs had we seen in their time? Indeed, most NFL playbooks are identical. It's all about personnel and playcalling. St. Joe would call an I-formation or Pro Set, but instead of a fullback back there, he might have Didier or Cooley as the H-back. The personnel dictates the defense, which must now honor a hybrid blocker/pass catcher and adjust accordingly. St. Joe's big innovation was multiple motions and shifts designed to give the QB the pre-snap read and to move players into better matchups against the defense. Often, he would run a maximum of 10 different plays in a game, but vary the personnel, formation, and shifts to make it look different to the defense. Walsh's big innovation was 3-step drops and quick passes to wide receivers in lieu of power runs up the middle. The personnel he was saddled with in Cincinnati (where he devised the scheme) dictated those adjustments.

Most of the coaches further down the Gillman and Walsh trees (Billick and Gruden, most notably) run a combination of the two principles.

But keep one very important thing in mind: very few coaches who enjoy success in the NFL do so because they are dogmatic in their philosophy. The successful ones all adjust their philosophy to suit the personnel they have. St. Joe, after all, went from the power running game with John Riggins and George Rogers to the three 1,000 yard receiver air attack with strong-armed QBs in Schroeder, Williams, and Rypien and faster backs like Bryant, Byner, and Ervins.

Jim Zorn is going to be a fine, fine, fine offensive coordinator. It's his time, he's paid his dues both as a player and position coach, and he deserves this opportunity. I worry about JC's psyche, but like I said before, he's a pro. He'll learn the new playbook (hopefully a few hundred pages smaller than the other one) and he'll be fine.

The bigger question is: is Zorn ready to manage a full staff and is he ready to call his own plays?

i was always under the impression that west coast offenses required smaller, quicker, better route runners as receivers, rather than "big" WRs. obviously a big WR could do those things, but it's not necessary. when rich gannon was lighting up the league for those couple years in oakland, his most prolific receivers were tim brown and jerry rice, along with charlie garner out of the backfield. none of those fit the "big" WR bill.

the patriots run a form of the west coast offense, and their receivers are all speed guys. randy moss is big, but he's not a possession type receiver that makes catches in traffic over the middle. he draws double coverage for one reason; because he's the most dangerous deep threat in the game. santana moss has the ability to have that effect on defenses. i liked caldwell and mccardell last year, and along with cooley and randle el, i think this team's WRs are fine for a west coast offense. the only question mark is whether they can stay healthy.

Posted by: psps23 | January 28, 2008 12:23 PM

I agree for the most part. The big receivers come in handy though because the theory behind the supposed West Coast offense is that you pass to run. In other words, you use short passes like running plays, ie big, physical receivers. But small, fast receivers can create seperation with their speed and make moves to break free once they have the ball.

Jasno,
Thanks for the excellent post. It's just the sort of half fact/half speculation that is perfect for RI.

I hope you've read the tea leave correctly, because its hard to believe that Fassel is the guy. I think that Fassel is Dan's backup (like the first time around) and you've made a good case that Mariucci may be the "bigfish."

The PC answer to Maske: "I'm working for the NFL Network right now, and that's all I'm doing." Makes me think he must have a date to dance with Danny.

Jasno,
Thanks for the excellent post. It's just the sort of half fact/half speculation that is perfect for RI.

I hope you've read the tea leave correctly, because its hard to believe that Fassel is the guy. I think that Fassel is Dan's backup (like the first time around) and you've made a good case that Mariucci may be the "bigfish."

The PC answer to Maske: "I'm working for the NFL Network right now, and that's all I'm doing." Makes me think he must have a date to dance with Danny.

The Skins have been Coryell style offense every year but three in the 27 seasons since 1981: Martyball in 2001, and the Chuck and Duck by Spurrier in 2002-2003.

The Skins are a Coryell offense team.

What's Chris Cooley going to do in the West Coast offense? What do you need deep threat Santana Moss for in a West Coast offense?

If you hire Mooch, you need to get rid of Campbell and bring in a competent West Coast QB. Let Campbell go to Kansas City or Green Bay or somewhere he can use his developing abilities in the Coryell scheme.

Posted by: mirf59 | January 28, 2008 11:36 AM

Clearly Portis isn't a west coast back, I mean aren't they usually little shifty guys with good hands? Portis is huge! With hands of stone! No place for good athlete there!

Jason Campbell is no less a West coast offense QB than McNabb is. (tip) he has been pretty successful.

"The Skins are a Coryell offense team." Understood however they aren't good at it so maybe they shouldn't be.

"What's Chris Cooley going to do in the West Coast offense?" West coast offenses have no and i mean NO room for a talented TE. We should instantly replace him with a bum.

"What do you need deep threat Santana Moss for in a West Coast offense?" - Why would you ever want to score on a deep route? There isn't any place for a fast and agile adjustment receiver. Did you know that if you claim to be running a "west coast offense" any play over 20 yards is taken back and rules a penalty?

"Let Campbell go to Kansas City or Green Bay or somewhere he can use his developing abilities in the Coryell scheme." Is ending every drive with a game losing INT a key part of being a Coryell style QB? Let the kid try something different he wasn't amazingly great at what he was doing currently.

i've always been curious about coordinator etiquette. do they have to create their own playbooks from scratch once they become coordinators? do they keep the same playbook from their mentors and just tweak a few things? is it considered bad practice if blache just kept williams' playbook and used it for this year, with a few wrinkles added in?

Clearly Portis isn't a west coast back, I mean aren't they usually little shifty guys with good hands? Portis is huge! With hands of stone! No place for good athlete there!

Jason Campbell is no less a West coast offense QB than McNabb is. (tip) he has been pretty successful.

"The Skins are a Coryell offense team." Understood however they aren't good at it so maybe they shouldn't be.

"What's Chris Cooley going to do in the West Coast offense?" West coast offenses have no and i mean NO room for a talented TE. We should instantly replace him with a bum.

"What do you need deep threat Santana Moss for in a West Coast offense?" - Why would you ever want to score on a deep route? There isn't any place for a fast and agile adjustment receiver. Did you know that if you claim to be running a "west coast offense" any play over 20 yards is taken back and rules a penalty?

"Let Campbell go to Kansas City or Green Bay or somewhere he can use his developing abilities in the Coryell scheme." Is ending every drive with a game losing INT a key part of being a Coryell style QB? Let the kid try something different he wasn't amazingly great at what he was doing currently.

Umm I think Bill Lazor was the QB coach, Olivadottis has been retained though....as the LINEBACKERS coach!

And Portis' best years were in Denver which runs a variation of the West Coast that just includes more bootlegs and rollouts.....something that JC is very good at. Anybody remember Dwight Clark? He was pretty good in the west coast, philly is a different team when LJ Smith is healthy, Jeremy Stevens had some nice years in Seattle, there is absolutely room for Cooley, and Portis proved he can catch this year this system plays to his strength zone running plays and screens and draws and avoids his weakness of between the tackles work horse running...btw Portis is not "big" he is one of the smaller backs in the league which is why he's been getting hurt as a 300 carry a season back. I think the offensive switch is exactly what this team that struggles to score 21 points needs.

The west coast offense (as it's known today, let's not get too technical on it's "true" origin) was invented by Bill Walsh.

It uses short pass' instead of running plays and as such a good pass catching tight end and at least one big WR are preferable because the qb can throw the ball high enough on crossing routes and the bigger reciever should theoretically handle the subsequent hits better.

Also, you have a smaller, faster O-line (using generalities here) who are better at pass blocking so you need the tall reciever for the redzone routes because you lose some short yardage running ability with the light line.

i hope people soon get over the love-affair they had with williams. Its obvious gibss wanted williams. Its obvious snyder wanted williams... he interviewed the man FOUR TIMES to see if he could make it work.... williams shot himself in the foot. we don't know what he did, but he said or did something to lose the job. Its over for Williams. Remove him from the equation.

Totally random question - if Art Monk and/or Darrell Green get voted into the HOF on Saturday, will I look like a total tool if I wear their jersey out to watch the SB (I'll be in Texas - if I was here, I would not care.) FWIW - I think people that come to a Skins/Miami game wearing a Peyton Manning Colts jersey look like tools.

Cannot deal with the HC thing anymore - until we have an answer. But since everyone but the HC appears to be in place, I might throw my hat in the ring and defer to my new coordinators!

I CAN LIVE WITH MOOCH WAY MORE
THAN I COULD FASSEL. WHY HAVENT WE APPROACHED RUSS GRIMM YET. KEEP OLIVDOTTI AS QB COACH FOR CAMPBELL.

Posted by: KAMIN0778 | January 28, 2008 12:46 PM

You're really onto something there. If we moved Olivdotti to QB coach we could move Bugel over to coach the LB's. Perhaps we could rehire Saunders to the PR department and Joe Gibbs could replace Bubba Tyer as team trainer.

i think it's far from obvious that snyder wanted williams. i personally believe that snyder knew he was the best man for the job, but found out that he couldn't coexist with GG as best friends. which illustrates why everyone hates snyder. this is a business. you get the best man for the job, period. not just someone you enjoy spending time with. NOT vinny cerrato as your head personnel man. NOT jim fassel as HC. this team is nothing more than an expensive toy for snyder, and it p!sses me off. sadly, there's nothing i can do about it. gregg williams got shafted, but he'll be successful wherever he goes next, you can count on that. it's too bad it won't be with the redskins.

that being said, at this point i'll be satisfied with any coach other than fassel. no candidate would make me "happy", but anybody would be fine at this point (except fassel).

I agree psps23.....I really thought that after everything the team went through this season that Williams would be with us for a long time, how wrong was I.

As a life long Skins fan it is very hard to see our owner slowly keep peeling away at the legacy that the Redskins have. I will contuine to love and support the team because I am a die hard skins fan but I only see it getting more difficult as long as DS owns the team and there is no way he is getting rid of his "cash cow"

Dan, pick someone who wants to make an impression on the league, an up and coming star. Old loser baggage is not what the fans want. Big names are not going to ruin their reputation no matter how much money you try and throw at them.
Mooch and fossel are not the answers.

RC the post suggesting that Cooley/Moss/Portis Campbell, which one might not be on the team next year, and that Portis can't play in a west coast system, and that Campbell should be traded....I mean, if assininity is a word, then that was assininity to the highest degree....

Shannon Sharpe was a pretty decent receiving TE in the WC offense back in the day. Not sure about our O-line fitting the system. Denver uses smaller quicker guys but they seem to be the exception. My guess is guys like Samuels, Thomas and Rabach will be fine, they're players regardless of system. Probably need some depth though.

RC the post suggesting that Cooley/Moss/Portis Campbell, which one might not be on the team next year, and that Portis can't play in a west coast system, and that Campbell should be traded....I mean, if assininity is a word, then that was assininity to the highest degree....

If fans stop renewing their season tix, Danny is pretty vulnerable. He has the biggest stadium in the league. His other biz stuff hasn't been doing great. I've read that he has a debt to service.

If the waiting list goes away, then he can't readily inflict price increases. If he doesn't sell out season tix, it becomes less valuable to hold season tix. I live in the Bay Area and have seen this spiral hit the Raiders and 49ers. 15 years ago, you couldn't get a 49er ticket. Now, people are giving them away.

The value of the Skins franchise is in the waiting list for tix. If that goes away, Danny will be under a ton of pressure. Vote with your wallet people.

Fassel and Mariucci are not winners. The only reason to put one of them in HC position would be as a one-year place-holder.

I'm sticking with an out-of-nowhere surprise: Jeff Fisher.

Gregg Williams can head coach the Titans in his place.

I think waiting until after the Super Bowl is a smokescreen, or at best an artificial deadline, to give Williams and Saunders some time to get hired elsewhere.

And don't know if anyone else has posited this before, but it's looking more and more to me like Snyder was going to get rid of Williams and Saunders anyway, even if Gibbs had stayed on another year. I am thinking Gibbs knew that or at least suspected, and hence his sudden departure, so he wouldn't be at the helm as team president doing that to the two men who pulled out the season for him -- Williams with the defense stepping up despite losing Sean Taylor, and Saunders with Todd Collins, who should be team MVP for the year.

ZC, The only thing worse than the redskins with money is the Redskins without money. Do you honestly think that Dan Snyder is going to listen to you if you stop going to the games? The only reason they are competitive at all is because they dish out money.

The Redskins are a tradition, people aren't going to stop going because he is changing the coaches in an attempt to win.

If you don't want your tickets any more I will gladly take them off your hands.

If fans stop renewing their season tix, Danny is pretty vulnerable. He has the biggest stadium in the league. His other biz stuff hasn't been doing great. I've read that he has a debt to service.

If the waiting list goes away, then he can't readily inflict price increases. If he doesn't sell out season tix, it becomes less valuable to hold season tix. I live in the Bay Area and have seen this spiral hit the Raiders and 49ers. 15 years ago, you couldn't get a 49er ticket. Now, people are giving them away.

The value of the Skins franchise is in the waiting list for tix. If that goes away, Danny will be under a ton of pressure. Vote with your wallet people.

If Jim Zorn is a QB guy (right?) and you hire him as OC, persumably to work with Soups. Then why hire Fassel? Haven't the arguments for Fassel been mostly centered around him being this big QB guy? Isn't that redundant redundancy?

I'm fine with the way things have gone, this staff has been the highest paid underachievers in the league for years. I mean its just been one dumb decisions after another for years:

Lavar
Sitting Sean have his first season
Archuletta signing and usage (everyone knew he couldn't cover)
Ducket signing and usage (had a pretty nice year for Detroit this season)
Brunel
Ryan Clark
Blloyd
Drafts (Jordan Palmer...great pick when you have 4 QBs on your roster at the time)
Lemar Marshall (as in a WLB at best)
Warrick Holdman (Rocky sat for a whole year)
Todd Wade to guard
never matching up with TO on his way to 4tds with the same routes against our stubborn zone
and the countless clock mismanagement bad challenges and other dumb in game decisions
Also never playin a good second half

that's all just off the top of my head, nothing about that staff except for a mostly above avergae defense, decent special teams, and Joe Bugel performed as it should....I've been saying keep the good out with the bad which we have done with the staff purge/retention.....and to the poster who said Mooch and Fassel are losers....you don't know much about football, Fassel was above .500 coach of the year twice and multiple division winner (when was the last time the Redskins won the East? 1997!!!) and went to the super bowl, Mooch, multiple division winner and went to a superbowl, how could anybody look at these guys and say they're losers.....

Did Daniel Snyder attend a seminar entitled "How to Run Your Team like a Three Ring Circus, Consistently Produce Mediocrity and Still Make Boatloads of Cash?"
Keynote speakers - Al Davis, Peter Angelos, Dudes who Run the New York Knicks

and to the poster who said Mooch and Fassel are losers....you don't know much about football, Fassel was above .500 coach of the year twice and multiple division winner (when was the last time the Redskins won the East? 1997!!!) and went to the super bowl, Mooch, multiple division winner and went to a superbowl, how could anybody look at these guys and say they're losers.....

being fired doesn't mean your winner or a loser, it just means you didn't fit into the teams plans, by your logic then we should never have even considered GG he was 17-31 as a head coach and got fired.......your dumbness is tough to converse with.

I really don't know much about the ownership structure in DC. My best guess/hope for this team to have much of a future is for the $$$ pressure to hit Danny. I don't think he is the sole owner.

And I do think the value of the team is in the waiting list. In biz, we measure backlog, its a sign of demand. And demand for Skins tix has always been thru the roof.

Well, the Skins have added 35,000 seats since RFK days a decade ago. A bunch when Gibbs returned. There is also football in Baltimore which impacts the base just a bit. So Danny has to sell in a more competitive market. And Danny already struggles to sell all the luxury boxes

But if the wait list starts dropping dramatically, its Danny's partners that will apply pressure.

If the Skins only sell 70,000 season tix, a big figure for almost any franchise, the incentive to own season tix will drop. I suspect a lot of folks hate paying full fare for preseason games. If it gets to the point that you know you can go to any game you want without paying much different than face value, the incentive to renew season tix just plummets.

This doesn't happen overnight, but Danny is ripping the fabric of this franchise apart. You have to trust and respect the people working for you and Danny doesn't. So good people will stay away. And he'll turn this thing into the Raiders and Al Davis.

being fired doesn't mean your winner or a loser, it just means you didn't fit into the teams plans, by your logic then we should never have even considered GG he was 17-31 as a head coach and got fired.......your dumbness is tough to converse with.

A source with knowledge of the dynamics in the Washington front office firmly believes that former San Francisco and Detroit head coach Steve Mariucci won't be the next coach of the Redskins.

Though both Mariucci and 'Skins executive V.P. of football operations Vinny Cerrato worked together in San Fran, Mariucci was hired by former Niners owner Eddie DeBartolo and front-office exec Carmen Policy. "Mooch was never a Vinny guy," the source said.

Mariucci has been linked to the job via informed speculation from Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post.

Based on who the top tier HC candidates appear to be including the rumored Mooch do we think Snyder is looking for a "place holder" coach? i.e. someone who he thinks can help the team be successful, build around draft picks, set up foundation and then bow out a la Tuna in Dallas and NE?

Yes that would be smart strategic thinking. I think Snyder is fully capable, I just think the people he looks at to help carry out the strategy are where it all falls apart.

Or is he thinking we're this close (hold up finger and thumb) to an SB and just need one little nudge to get us there? Clearly that nudger is a Fassel or Mooch?

What I want to know is how many of us are highly-paid (almost typed "highly-laid") professionals, surfing the sports websites and hitting refresh on Jasno's blog, when there will be no official news for at least a week, while our clients pay for it (private, government consulting)?

He didn't fire GG cause he "wasn't enough of a winner" nobody has ever said that, he fired him apparently because he didn't like him. Sometimes your fired because your a loser, sometimes your fired because of personality, sometimes your fired because your organization is just going in a different direction. Marty went 14-2 and got canned! sometimes its just politics, Billick won a Super Bowl and just a year ago was 13-3, you think he's a loser? Jimmy Johnson got fired from the Cowboys and is arguably the best coach they ever had. Both Mooch and Fassel have proven they can coach and succeed in the NFL, they are far from losers, maybe you don't think they're right for the Skins and that's fine your entitled to your opinion, but don't say they're losers cause they are very far from it.

PPS - Best episode of The Wire ever last night. McNaulty off the deep end entirely. Prop Joe is gone. Omar back with a vengeance. Killing off Joe (and Hungry Man to a lesser degree) - especially with Cheese of all people giving Prop up and Marlo the new undisputed king of slinging - is like killing off any semblance of the old-school "code" in the game. Any shred of ethics on the corners is gone. That show is beyond real. I already miss it and there's like 4 episodes left. Every scene is epic.

By Jason La Canfora | January 27, 2008; 9:47 PM ET

Ah the Wire. The ONLY topic where Jason and Barno are on the same page. When he said last night's was the "best episode" ever, I thought for a minute he was referring to the episode which becomes available On Demand at midnight on Sundays--which is always a week before it airs on HBO. I watched that episode--the newest one--plus the one JLC saw last night. Both were epic.

I am so depressed there are only 5 more episodes left. There will never be another show like it, as long as we live. Truly the greatest thing ever put on film. Ever.

I'm literally afraid to go to the sports section and find out the latest news. Someone said Mariucci would be a good hire. Allow me to retort!

No he wouldn't. He is a loser. Read any report about his Detroit years and it reads like Spurrier's years here. Cell phones in meetings, lax rules, the inmates running the asylum. Classic case of the re-tread coach who gives good quotes. He ran those SF teams into the ground. How many 4-12 seasons did they have before that chooch took over? Not many.

The Snyder, Dan.net continues to embarrass this once proud franchise. Everyday is something worse than the day before.

Forgot to say, I also LOVE The Wire. I'm very sorry to see it go (ah, at least I'll have the DVDs).

Too bad it never got the hype that other HBO shows like the Sopranos (later episodes during which I would scream out "DO SOMETHING!!!") or Sex and the City (which I also loved) were afforded. Or the publicity that went to craptastic shows like Deadwood.

I was a big fan of this team for 40 years. The Gibbs 2.0 era had lots of issues. Bad signings, getting rid of too many picks and dubious trades. Poor game mgmt and even worse cap mgmt. A bizarre coaching structure, etc.

And in 2007, it came together. A team that had so much go so wrong did a remarkable number of things right. Against a tough schedule, they competed well against everyone, except NE. They made the playoffs. The win streak at the end of the season, the offense was good and the defense was great. The organization was respected again.

When a team comes together, you see if you can run with that. Danny had that with Marty and fired him. Gibbs 1.0 did that in Gibbs first season when they were 0-5 and finished 8-8. Next year, they won a Super Bowl.

Today, we are watching a movie sequel. The names will change, the story will be the same. Like most movie sequels, the story will get worse and worse. After messing twice with A-list coaches Gibbs and Marty, you can bet that no more A-list coaches will be calling DC home.

Inspiring players is tricky stuff. If you don't respect them, you will never get them to reach their peak levels. Danny has told the players he doesn't respect what they accomplished in 2007 and that he doesn't respect them as people.

Its time for Skins fans to do what they can to stop Danny -- at all costs. I got to see first hand the Yorks clean out Bill Walsh's legacy in SF. And SF has been a disaster since. Danny Snyder is that type of owner. I wish the answers were easier, but as long as Danny is there, this franchise is in trouble.

I'm okay with Mooch coming here. *Much* more so than Fassel. Don't know why; maybe it's a personality thing. After all, Fassel's gotten to a Super Bowl; Mooch never has. But I lived in SF for a few years while he was the coach, and even though I was a Redskins fan and thus didn't really care much about the 49'ers, thought he did a pretty decent job. He got them to the playoffs a few times if I remember correctly, and the Niners really tanked after they booted him out of town.

I'm starting to wonder if Danny-boy & Co. are vetting out their candidates for Jasno to speculate on here, and then judging the fan reaction in the comments. Last week, Fassel was all but hired, but then everyone here raised the pitch forks and torches and, well, what do you know? Fassel not so much of a sure thing! It could still come to pass, but the fact that it didn't last week makes me doubt it.

Reaction to Mooch, from what I can tell, seems to be a bit more positive around here.

As for Ron Meeks, giving him a second interview at least satisfies me that they're paying more than face value to the Rooney rule. Or is getting a second interview a sure sign you're NOT going to get the job? Or does that only apply if you get MORE than 2 interviews? Or if you've already been with the organization for 4 years?

Great job, Jason, of dotting the I's and crossing the T's. The case you built is very compelling.

It does seem DS always has a trick up his sleeve. I just hope it ain't FOSSIL. The one thing with Mooch as HC is he strikes me as a ditzy coach. I also worry about him imposing the necessary discipline on the players. I understand he's a people's guy, but that could also mean he tiptoes around issues, especially when it comes to dealing with players. We don't want a politician, we want a bonafide coach.

Detroit is Detroit, I'm not saying that Mooch or Fassel are the best guys for the job but just stop saying they're losers, cause that's just wrong.....they are winning nfl coaches, playoff coaches, divsion winning coaches, superbowl coaches, they are coach of the year winners, that doesn't just happen by luck.....maybe they aren't the right guys but use some better logic than "they're losers"....I happen to agree that both may be a little too player friendly especially with a spotlight diva guy like Clinton Portis on the roster, but don't say they are losers, I like the McDaniels idea a lot actually, he ran a great offense in New England found a way to manage egos throughout his time there and would be hungry to prove he's a winner....but I don't think he or meeks or schmidt or spags would come here without being able to at least assemble their own staff so I think it has to be a retread guy like Fassel or Mooch and if they come in and win every last one of you will change your tune in a hurry, the truth is, this was Gibbs' fault, there was going to be change and upheaval no matter what as soon as he announced his retirement, the process has been a little unorthodox but let's wait and see what happens...

West Coast is first and foremost getting the ball out quickly.. Doesn't seem to me JC does that.. he's got a long throwing motion.. from way low (which is why defenses hit it away from him when he's running).. i think the two stooges (soon to be a third) are going in the wrong direction offensively.. the OC from the patriots looks like the best ticket for JC to me.. brady a drop back, pocket guy.. and there's always someone open.. he's the best guy for JC..

taupe, interesting point about snyder leaking stuff to gauge fan reaction, however i dont think he cares so much about the limited fan reaction here. if you are a memeber of extremeskins, it was CRAZY last week. the mods were working overtime merging all the "i hate fassil" and "i hate snyder" threads. since extremeskins is the official redskins site, i imagine they probably pay pretty close attention to it. the comments in the blogs here are much too disorganized to pay attention to.

The one guy I'd like to see get a chance is Jim Schwartz. In the end, I think it'll be him. Read somewhere he's got a Belichik-type intelligence. He's young and motivated and won't press too much on the fact that his coordinaters were already chosen for him.

I happen to agree that both may be a little too player friendly especially with a spotlight diva guy like Clinton Portis on the roster,

Your post almost made sense until you said this.

Have you ever seen anythign from Clinton Portis? Do you have any idea who he is? Have you ever listened to anythin he has said? I think you are mistaking good for Diva. He is one of the most selfless players on the team.

The one guy I'd like to see get a chance is Jim Schwartz. In the end, I think it'll be him. Read somewhere he's got a Belichik-type intelligence. He's young and motivated and won't press too much on the fact that his coordinaters were already chosen for him.

For those of you who want to boycott, get rid of your season tix, etc, keep in mind that Snyder is extremely stubborn and probably will never sell the team. If it becomes unprofitable to keep the team in DC/MD, guess what.....they will become the Los Angeles Redskins, or whatever city will essentially pay out the a$$ to get a team. If you do drop your season tix, thanks; I sit in section 448 and look very much forward to moving to a better section......rant complete.

I love this team.. and always will love the redskins team.. been with them since the days of george allen, but lets face it.. we have an embarassing, moron for an owner.. and an even bigger moron second in charge.. i still say we'll never win with this owner.. he's lucky he's so stinking rich because that's the only way he gets people to work for him.. is pay them lots of money, otherwise, they'd never come here. the biggest mystery in life is how that moron got so stinking rich..

We have not seen a semblance of consistency from our team in 10 years (15 if you count Norv consistently sucking). What will be will be and we'll just have to go along with it. Or root for the Ravens/Panthers. I'll take my chances with the Skins.

Forgot to say, I also LOVE The Wire. I'm very sorry to see it go (ah, at least I'll have the DVDs).

Too bad it never got the hype that other HBO shows like the Sopranos (later episodes during which I would scream out "DO SOMETHING!!!") or Sex and the City (which I also loved) were afforded. Or the publicity that went to craptastic shows like Deadwood.

Posted by: nojunk4me | January 28, 2008 02:19 PM

I'm not surprised it never got the hype of other HBO shows. It takes a brain and a whole lot of time and patience to enjoy the Wire. Any old fool can watch almost any episode of the Sopranos from any season and pretty much know everything that's going on. But to enjoy the Wire, you must start from the very beginning and watch each and and every episode from every season, otherwise you'll be totally lost.

I've been reading the doom and gloom for a few weeks and I think everyone needs to take a few deep breathes. I've been following the skins since the 60's and other then the 80's we were never dominant. These past 4 years with GW we've had a pretty good "D" but more often then not managed to give away games. Remember that 5-11 record a few years back-Most of those loses were of 3-4 point come from behind games-which means we didn't have a killer instinct on "D". With our suddenly "greatest coach ever" GW tossed aside (While I agree they could have been nicer about it) he was not the answer here. And as much as I love Joe he wasn't the second time around either.

Now we have a chance to get some one good (If it's Fassel then I am as perplexed as the next guy)and Mooch may be that guy-or perhaps Meeks. Our coordinators should be good-Zorn has a great rep inside the NFL as does our new DC. We keep talking about the need for new blood=lets see how this works out.

Don't know if anyone pointed it out but PFT is saying Carroll said no to HC job.

This is sad consolation - bit like saying well I'm dead but at least I got shot instead of hanged. . . . which is the Skins can still maybe attract some good people here. Who is goint to be HC for Oakland? Would anyone want to work there?

Mariucci? Snyder thinks he's better suited than G. Williams? Yeah, he was so successful as head coach that he's been fired twice by two teams. Why not hire the current 49ers coach. At least he's got direct ties to the Skins. Mike Nolan used to be defensive coord. for the Skins.

I've been reading the doom and gloom for a few weeks and I think everyone needs to take a few deep breathes.
Now we have a chance to get some one good (If it's Fassel then I am as perplexed as the next guy)and Mooch may be that guy-or perhaps Meeks. Our coordinators should be good-Zorn has a great rep inside the NFL as does our new DC. We keep talking about the need for new blood=lets see how this works out.

Lets see were this goes in a week.

Posted by: jandlml | January 28, 2008 02:51 PM

You realize that this sage advice is far too common sense for us to follow right?

Remember we're coked up hamsters and if we weren't running about like hyperventilating headless chickens (which if you think about it takes some degree of talent)then what would we do with our time? Plus our heads might explode.

Shall we drive non-Wire fans crazy and start deciding who in the Skins organization is who in The Wire cast of characters? Or has that been done already?

Can't decide if Snyder is Carcetti or Cerrato. Snyder is Carcetti and Cerrato is Rawls.

I can feel the rotten tomatoes coming over the internets already.

Posted by: sfskin | January 28, 2008 02:34 PM

Great idea.

Daniels is definitely Campbell btw...

I wonder what folks who haven't seen the show think when they hear people say the Wire is the greatest thing ever put on film. Do they just roll their eyes and think it's just another fad tv show like some people were obsessed with Sorpranos the Simpsons, and that it CAN'T be as great as these people really say it is?

Well-if you're a doubter, all i can say is I feel sorry for you because you don't even know what you are missing...

Here's my movie quote of the day:
"Why is it that some people can read War and Peace and come away thinking it's a simple adventure story, while others can read the ingredients on a chewing gum wrapper and unlock the secrets of the universe?"

To be considerate - this is not a football related post - it's TV related

I like the Sarah Connor show too. I didn't expect to but I'm surprised at how good it is. I'm even willing to put up with the moronic voice overs which were also in the movies. Plus I think Lena Headley is pretty good eye candy for everyone, boys, girls, straight, gay, asexual, polyamorous, questioning. . .

Poor Prop Joe got snuffed out last night, but at least Marlo was kind and told him to close his eyes and take a deep breath before he pulled the trigger.

Too bad Snyder and Cerrato didn't afford Williams the same courtesy this weekend with their embarrassing display of disrespect. Show some class and thank the man for his efforts here before you smear his name and run him out of town on a rail. Yet another coach who'll come in here in the future looking for revenge against our team. Terrific...just what we need.

That said, what about Lane Kiffin as our next HC? Snyder might go after him now that Al Davis is firing him and/or asking for his resignation. Any word on his status?

Great work!
Sounds like it would be a great hire, and would take the bad taste out of our mouth. Mariucci has all the qualities you want in a HC. The entire package sounds good too. Whoever Snyder hires, it definitely needs to be someone who can work with him and his need to be involved. I may hold off on giving up my tickets. Sure more acceptable than Fassel in my mind.

If I had to make $nyder a TV character (he's already a real-life character), I'd make him Artie Ziff--a short billionaire, who acts like a petulant child, who thinks he can buy his way into what he wants (e.g., Marge's love).

i like mooch as a coach. that being said, i'm concerned about the skins running a west coast offense. we don't have that physical possession receiver, and campbell, so far, has not shown the type of skills needed in a west coast offense: short-range touch and accuracy, quick release, reading the defense pre-snap.

i saw campbell as the perfect fit for a gibbs/saunders offense. very much in the mold of rypien, williams, and green, only more athletic than any of them. his best asset is his deep ball. i hope we don't shy away from that.

one positive with mooch and zorn is that at least the offense will be on the same page on gameday. no differences in philosophy between the HC and the one calling hte plays. i remember in sf (i was out there for mooch) that he never had a problem with holding back on the playcalling.

One of Dorf's posts caused me to wander to the Panther's website. I took a look at the bio of their General Manager - John Hurney. He is from Wheaton, MD, and worked as a beat reporter for the Washington Times for 5 years covering the skins. He went to work for the skins in 88, went to San Diego with Beatherd, and eventually became the Panther's GM.

Perhaps Jasno could be our football savior by becoming the GM of the skins.

Ok, maybe I'm crazy, but can anyone see Pete Carroll stepping into the Redskins' situation as it currently sits? I envision him as one of those guys who would demand total control in order to jump back into the NFL. He already makes a gazillion dollars a year, so I doubt that Snyder's money is going to talk in the same way it would with other coaches.

Now, I suppose if the NCAA hellhounds were on his trail, it might be a different thing.

If I had to make $nyder a TV character (he's already a real-life character), I'd make him Artie Ziff--a short billionaire, who acts like a petulant child, who thinks he can buy his way into what he wants (e.g., Marge's love).

Posted by: nojunk4me | January 28, 2008 03:12 PM

Ever watch the old John Lovitz cartoon "the Critic"? His boss/TV station owner is very Snyder-esque.....

Superman has always been a Christ-figure in the comics. It's not surprising.

"Lost" goes on for three more seasons (including this one), although they won't be full order seasons. And, yes, there is closure on the horizon :-) The showrunners have promised that the ending won't be a red herring, contrived one. They have assured fans on numerous occasions that there really is a purpose and finality to the show.

We shall see. With most shows, the finale is pretty anti-climactic. If "Lost" finishes well, it will rightfully belong in the pantheon of great television.

If we do get Mariucci, is Cerrato going to put him in salary cap hell here like he did in San Fran. Let's face it. We will never get back to our past success under Gibbs. The day Dan Snyder beat out the Cooke's in a bid war was the day the Redskins folded. The only thing Synder see's is dollar's and cents. I pray to the Lord above that whatever happens from this day on will be something positive and truly make sense so that I can regain faith in my beloved team. At this point right now, it looks grim. When will Danny boy get it right. Off the field it's about money, on the field it's about chemistry and players. The chemistry needs to start with the coaches!

He already makes a gazillion dollars a year, so I doubt that Snyder's money is going to talk in the same way it would with other coaches.

Now, I suppose if the NCAA hellhounds were on his trail, it might be a different thing.

Posted by: acoberst | January 28, 2008 03:19 PM

the moey he makes at usc is not close to what snyder could offer him. college coaches right now are maxed at like 3 mill whereas it wouldnt be a surprise to see the dan offer close to 10 mill a year for a coach he really wanted. holmgren i believe makes close to 7 so snyder is just itching to make a new record for coach spending. all that being said, carrol is too smart a man to take this job for any amount of $$$. he knows his next shot at the pros is his last if he messes up and he has shown the last few years that he is waiting for the perfect job.

If I had to make $nyder a TV character (he's already a real-life character), I'd make him Artie Ziff--a short billionaire, who acts like a petulant child, who thinks he can buy his way into what he wants (e.g., Marge's love).

Posted by: nojunk4me | January 28, 2008 03:12 PM

Dead on! Self centered egotistical and power hungry. But hey, if Artie didn't pull his moves than Marge wouldn't have picked up Homer on the way home... and then we would have never had the Simpsons to enjoy.

All signs point to Fossil at this point...
Pete Carroll didnt evem want the coaching job was does that say about the skins current situation? Also with the OC and DC already in place I dont think Mooch would want to come here... I think that leans more toward Fossil as I see him as being a little more desperate.

Prop Joe is/was Coach Joe Gibbs. He ran the co-op just like Gibbs ran the assortment of assistant coaches. He tried to teach Marlo how it's done, just like Gibbs tried to teach Snyder how it's done. But in the end, Prop Joe/Joe Gibbs are gone...gone forever.

Prop Joe is/was Coach Joe Gibbs. He ran the co-op just like Gibbs ran the assortment of assistant coaches. He tried to teach Marlo how it's done, just like Gibbs tried to teach Snyder how it's done. But in the end, Prop Joe/Joe Gibbs are gone...gone forever.

Sorta-kinda. It was a little like here last week for a while (nobody picked up on my Blefuscans vs. Lilliputians reference, boo!) but things have settled down now.

The general feeling is that Parcells at least has a vision, although the expectation is about a 50% turnover on the roster from last year. Some of that (defense) is a good thing and some of that (offense excluding QB) may be a bad thing.

Either way, we'll see. Hard to see how it will be worse than this season!

RC, saw on PFT that the Cowboys/Dolphins could be discussing a trade, with the Pukes sending both #22, and #28, along with Marion Barber to the Phins for the #1 overall, which Jerrah, would then pick the RB from Arkansas, McFadden.

Would be a GREAT trade from the Phins point of view. Barber, and Brown in the backfield...wow...

Prop Joe is/was Coach Joe Gibbs. He ran the co-op just like Gibbs ran the assortment of assistant coaches. He tried to teach Marlo how it's done, just like Gibbs tried to teach Snyder how it's done. But in the end, Prop Joe/Joe Gibbs are gone...gone forever.

Which leads us to Marlo: his is Snyder fo sho.

Posted by: barno | January 28, 2008 03:35 PM

No, $nyder can't be Marlo. Marlo strategically planned this move ways out, observed the situation and put thought into how he could take advantage of Cheese's animosity, was patient, didn't frantically advertise and interview a bunch of outside hitters, and didn't make a big splash over wacking Prop Joe.

I intentionally didn't want to be a spoiler in my earlier posts, for those who make have last night's episode TiVO'd, but a few people have already let the cat out the bag about Prop Joe.

It speaks volumes that I'd rather comment on The Wire than my once beloved team, but...

JLC, you need to get OnDemand so you can see next week's! That episode was one of the best in the series, and I can't believe that in spite of all the crap Prop Joe did, they were able to make you care about him. I got a little misty when they pulled the trigger. And when you think about it, he did deserve it...he set Marlo up to get robbed by Omar at the poker game last season and then charged him an extra 10% to get the shipment back from Omar.

JLC, you need to get OnDemand so you can see next week's! That episode was one of the best in the series, and I can't believe that in spite of all the crap Prop Joe did, they were able to make you care about him. I got a little misty when they pulled the trigger. And when you think about it, he did deserve it...he set Marlo up to get robbed by Omar at the poker game last season and then charged him an extra 10% to get the shipment back from Omar.

Blog off the deep end after less then a week.
Grimm did not take the raiders job.
Grimm worked of VinnyDan.
Grimm as a future.
Grimm will never come here without a gibbs or marty deal.

Steve Mar. Will coach again. Not here. Why going to detriot he has been there and done that with Matt Millian.

Posted by: mul | January 28, 2008 03:44 PM
--
Based on what mul? Are people beating down Grimm's door with HC offers and he can demand total control of front office, etc? Funny bc I think that he's been turned down at least twice, at least once anyway by the organization that knew his coaching ability the best in Pitt.

The guy has done nothing exceptional to warrant anymore serious consideration than Mooch, Fassel, or Meeks. The Skins havent even interviewed him and they were in AZ last week. Hellooo?!? It aint happenin.

At the center of this shabingus is the Redskins front office, abbreviated FO.

You can't spell UFO without FO.

There is no U in "Daniel Snyder," but there is a Y, and Y was used in place of U until the year 1142, when the letter U was invented by a secret order of mysterious persons determined to strip Y of its vowel status (they were only partially successful).

If you add together the first two digits and the second two digits of 1142, you get 2 and 6, which concatenated are 26, the number of the last Super Bowl won by the Redskins.

Tom Cruise and Daniel Snyder are determined to prevent the Redskins from ever winning another Super Bowl, because they fear that it would spur a new secret society of mysterious persons to form and steer the world's governments toward the persecution of short, powerful men.

Cruise/Snyder need an audience of vertically-challenged, receptive employees with whom to share their vision; hence, the lack of tall players in the Redskins receiver corps.

I believe, based on information available, any serious HC prospect has been interviewed already, whether we know about that person or not. These hires would seem to be, especially Zorn, ones designed to fill the desire of the HC they are courting. Whether only 1 or as many as 3 or 4 candidates, if each is asked for a list of preferred OC/DC's, and Zorn and Blanche are on all lists as the most preferred and more importantly, available, candidates, then of course you'd lock them up so the new HC would have the best of their personal choices that were attainable.

I just can't see taking a flyer on Zorn unless they were getting feedback during the interviews that he was desired. He has no resume to warrant the Redskins interest otherwise.

Blache has Def. Coord. experience, so he'll be expected to more or less hold his own. Zorn has never been Off. Coord. before, so he might be expected to follow the new HC's lead a bit more. Ergo: the new HC will be an offensive sort, right?

If so, Meeks and Spagnuolo are not likely choices. And (gulp) Marriuci is viable or McDaniels. Personally, I think McDaniels is the "wow factor" candidate you can expect from Snyderatto. For the first time the owner would be senior to the coach.

Of course, this assumes that the search is following more or less rational principles, which it is not.

A source with knowledge of the dynamics in the Washington front office firmly believes that former San Francisco and Detroit head coach Steve Mariucci won't be the next coach of the Redskins.

Though both Mariucci and 'Skins executive V.P. of football operations Vinny Cerrato worked together in San Fran, Mariucci was hired by former Niners owner Eddie DeBartolo and front-office exec Carmen Policy. "Mooch was never a Vinny guy," the source said.

Mariucci has been linked to the job via informed speculation from Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post.

Based on what mul? Are people beating down Grimm's door with HC offers and he can demand total control of front office, etc? Funny bc I think that he's been turned down at least twice, at least once anyway by the organization that knew his coaching ability the best in Pitt.

The guy has done nothing exceptional to warrant anymore serious consideration than Mooch, Fassel, or Meeks. The Skins havent even interviewed him and they were in AZ last week. Hellooo?!? It aint happenin.

Posted by: castro123 | January 28, 2008 03:51 PM

Based on Grimm having worked for VinnyDan and reading the news. We can see the diff with no adult supervision and I am sure he can too. Trash the DC on the way out (I can't go through the whole thing.)

But if you look the only person we have gotten from the outside is the OC and he went back to seattle to get better terms, he could not and was 55 so he came here. All the others with a future did not come and in many cases just used Dan us for leverage. Blache also did not want to be promoted but "they made him an offer he could not refuse." He his going to retire soon by all accounts so whats he got too lose.

My guess is that this whole mess has to do with the marketing of Jason Campbell.

After Saunders offense ran the way it was intended with Collins I doubt that Williams would go along with returning Campbell to be the starter hands down. Williams is about winning football games, not selling team jerseys.

I also suspect that Gibbs may have resigned rather than be put in the same position along with likely being forced to fire Saunders when it was Campbell's inconsistent play that caused the offense to mis-fire not Saunder's playbook.

If we had continued with the same team, same coaches next season as we had to finish this season, the Redskins would have been really tough, with an offense that worked. Now who knows?

But the fact is we are all left go guess, because as fans it seems according to the actions of the powers that be, we don't deserve an explanation

All signs point to Fossil at this point...
Pete Carroll didnt evem want the coaching job was does that say about the skins current situation? Also with the OC and DC already in place I dont think Mooch would want to come here... I think that leans more toward Fossil as I see him as being a little more desperate.

Posted by: trailblazer658 | January 28, 2008 03:32 PM

Both Jim Zorn and Greg Blache have coached with Marriucci in the past. Mooch may have requested those two, in secret of course!

I see that many of us fans still have a myopia about the old regime's ability in todays NFL. Buges is still an excellent OL coach. If he's happy there, they should keep him in that role until he's ready to retire. As for him being a HC, come on. Didnt work before and it won't work now. Would he really excite anyone more than Fassel or Mooch though? I'm sorry but I just can't get too worked up over a run it twice and throw once offense that avg 17-20 points per game. It's time for change, bring on the West Coast Offense!

Rex Ryan was passed over in the HC coach in Baltimore. Maybe if Snyder had handled things better he could have kept Williams as DC. I am not sure how likely it was, but Snyder made sure it was impossible by they way he treated the coaching staff through this process.

Though both Mariucci and 'Skins executive V.P. of football operations Vinny Cerrato worked together in San Fran, Mariucci was hired by former Niners owner Eddie DeBartolo and front-office exec Carmen Policy. "Mooch was never a Vinny guy," the source said.

Mariucci has been linked to the job via informed speculation from Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post.

Based on Grimm having worked for VinnyDan and reading the news. We can see the diff with no adult supervision and I am sure he can too. Trash the DC on the way out (I can't go through the whole thing.)

But if you look the only person we have gotten from the outside is the OC and he went back to seattle to get better terms, he could not and was 55 so he came here. All the others with a future did not come and in many cases just used Dan us for leverage. Blache also did not want to be promoted but "they made him an offer he could not refuse." He his going to retire soon by all accounts so whats he got too lose.

We are a freaking joke now after two weeks.

Posted by: mul | January 28, 2008 04:01 PM

OK, so he reads the news and knows Dan and Vinny. To think for one millisecond that he wouldnt jump at the chance to succeed Joe Gibbs is retarded. Dan could tell him that he has to wear a Hogette tutu on game days and he would be here on Skinsone by tonight's dinner! My point is that Grimm isnt the answer. He's been passed by in Pitt, LA and now DC without even a tacit interest/interview.

Give Dan credit for always bringing in quality assistants. Never spares a dime there. If Blache wants to walk, adios.

Let's see where this thing leads before calling it a joke. People were probably laughing it up when Billicheck got the Pats gig a few years ago too..

Mul, Jeff George was 8 friggin years ago...how is that even relevant.....

Posted by: gregmarino88 | January 28, 2008 04:23 PM

You could apply that to virtually every post that comes from mul.. In this case he's underestimating Snyders unique ability to land top coaches (anyone remember who brought Gibbs back?), and more importantly there's a severe underestimation of the lure of the Skins HC position. To think that Russ Grimm would make demands before taking the position was the best laugh I've had today!

Run Fassel up the flag pole - get taken aback by fan reaction so run him down and say no decisions yet.

Then interview other people, trash talk "potential" candidates, get rumors going, suggest other potentials through second hand sources . . . . sit back and watch the fans go ape-shti . . .let us go ape shti then bat shti then ape shti then bat shti . . . wear us down and out like a parent dealing with their child demanding a new toy. "Mommy can I have it?" "Mommy please?!?" "Mommy I promise I clean my room." "Mommy if I don't get it I'll die."
"Mommy mommy mommy mommee mommeeeeeee."

Then after we flat on the ground exhausted, exasperated, frustrated and finally ready to surrender. . . .

Announce that Fassel is the new HC. . . .

We're too worn out to complain and we simply say
Okay and maybe it will be better than we think and hey look at Wade Philips in Cowpoke town and well you know he had some pretty good season in NY and we have good coordinators so HC doesn't really matter . . . . .

Redskins are not going to win more that one or two playoff games while this owner is here. This team is run by a fan with no idea how to win, or keep any kind of valuable coaching staff intact! Completly revamping the coaching staff will not instil a winning attitude within the players. Every player in the NFL knows that when your days are almost up, come to the skins and cash in one last big paycheck! End of story, while danny is the owner, we will not win the superbowl!!

Yeah, Marlo is smart, crafty, calculating and ruthless. Danny is the same except for the smart, crafty and calculating part.
Definately not Marlo
Posted by: Skinz | January 28, 2008 03:57 PM

Marlo is not smart at all.

You gotta understand the character just represents new age drug dealers vs. old school dealers. The younger generation dosen't care and they think they can blast their way and scare everybody to the top.

I'm sure he won't live through the end of the show because he dosen't deserve to live.

I forgot about on demand. Big G (Slim Charles) looks like he's gonna be short now. Every body he was rolling for is dead or locked up (Stringer, Barksdale, and Prop Joe). G and Marlo don't get along too well cause G understands the game, unlike Cheese and Marlo's crew..........

I am a real redskin fans. I know most of you are but some are PR from the building. Lets here it
Posted by: mul | January 28, 2008 04:35 PM

Mul, if you're directing this at me, you're barking up the wrong tree. Just because I'm choosing to let this scenario play itself out, and choosing not to adopt the 'debbie downer' persona that you have doesn't mean I'm working PR for the team.

Again, Jeff George happened 8 years ago. Let it go.....time to move on.....

I am a real redskin fans. I know most of you are but some are PR from the building. Lets here it.

Posted by: mul | January 28, 2008 04:35 PM

"Whoa is me", huh mul? Btw the PR line was old somewhere between the 19th and 20th times that you used it. If being a "real redskin fan" means whining about the owner (who gives his coaches "everything" that they ask for year in and year out) hoping that something will change, you are realer than real sir! I'll choose to be a "regular" redskins fan and stick it out regardless of who the next coach is...

Again, Jeff George happened 8 years ago. Let it go.....time to move on.....

Posted by: gregmarino88

No not you I remember you. It is goosedude and some others this weekend. Sometimes it is hard to tell but, they make it easy sometimes too.

You like myself can write what you wish. But you agree that having PR people come down here is not cool. I am trying to keep the focus on VinnyDan. I don't want us blaming coaches and players this year when they never had a real chance.

My primary frame of reference on Steve Mariucci is the Detroit Lions ... although the timeframe for that entire Detroit Lions frame of reference also includes an additional frame, which is Matt Millen.

My pessimist side reminds me that Vinny Cerrato may well be our Mid-Atlantic Matt Millen.

My optimist side reminds me that Steve Mariucci is a boyhood best friend of Tom Izzo, and I am WAY pro-Tom Izzo, so I will hold my breath for a little while longer.

I am a lifelong 'Skins fan and a season ticket holder.
However, after years of mediocrity, I find myself thinking: "What other ways could I find to spend $1800 a year?"...

By ERIC TALMADGE, Associated Press Writer
Mon Jan 28, 8:04 AM ET

TOKYO - Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page said Monday he was ready to take the iconic band on a world tour after burning up the stage at last month's reunion concert in London. But it probably won't be before September.

You like myself can write what you wish. But you agree that having PR people come down here is not cool. I am trying to keep the focus on VinnyDan. I don't want us blaming coaches and players this year when they never had a real chance.

Posted by: mul | January 28, 2008 04:51 PM

--

Mul, OK, let's keep the focus on VinnyDan then. Gibbs/Williams were given every player they wanted. They brought in Fletcher, Smoot, Landry, went millions over the cap again, etc. At what point does the responsbility shift to the coaches?

Injuries occur on every team so don't even bother going there. The only anomoly was the Taylor tragedy and the staff handled that superbly, full credit there. At the end of the day though it was a 9-8 season. Who's fault is that? I don't remember seeing Vinny or Dan on the field or the sidelines, they have been as quiet as church mouses since Gibbs took over (with the exception of negotiations with the coaches and players Gibbs wanted). Help me understand...

To quote Jasno...
"No job is perfect and IN THE END, MONEY TALKS"...
Amen.
Whoever they bring in will ultimately say...Can't name my own staff? No problem! By the way, how much are you paying me?
Can't run my own plays? NO problem! By the way, how much are you paying me?
Can't draft the players I want? NO problem! By the way, how much are you paying me?
I won't be successful? Won't make the playoffs? NO problem! How much are you paying me?
I'm going to get fired after one, or two years? NO problem! I have a 5 year, $5.0 mill. contract,
Yessir, IN THE END, MONEY TALKS.

All i know i be cxl NFL packages for this year ,i be felling sorry for J Cambell having to learn another offensive system ,no matter how you bring we need a tall WR AND DE and SS to replace the HEART of the TEAM MR TAYLOR.

i don't root for Dan Snyder. I don't root against Dan Snyder. I don't root for the QB or against him. I don't root for the coach or against him. I root for the Redskins, regardless of who is on the field. I won't give up my tickets, I will continue to hope they win, and will enjoy the games. All this talk of jumping ship humors me.

I could actually see that happening. Very, very interesting theory. I could live with Mariucci. Definitely over Fassel. Here's another theory - after intervieiwing Meeks,Fassel et al and finding the concensus for the OC & DC, were Zorn and Blache, Snyder went and got them/signed them. He may have originally wanted Fassel, but with all of the criticism, he's going to make a genius move that will keep the press and fans from getting on him - hiring Meeks as the Redskins first black full time (other than the Robiskie 3 game stint when Snyder 1st bought the team) Head Coach. What do you think of that?

Being a DC native, I try my best to avoid building emotional ties to Baltimore. But The Wire is consistently one of the best shows on TV, and last night's episode represented nicely. Omar (my name also) jumping out a 7 story window and disappearing? That man has street game. Freamon and McNutty with the Marlo workaround, including a fake-me-out wire tap? GENIUS.

Can't wait to see the new thug guard go down hard, maybe with a couple of the Greeks as well.

Great call JLC. I agree that if Redskins One was seen in LAX then there is a great chance that Mooch will be the guy. Remeber,"always follow the plane and you shall find the answers" young Grasshopper. Plus, it seems that Snyder has the ability to keep things top secret. We just heard that he interviewed Pete Carrol underneath everyone's noses and no one had a clue about it until well after the fact. Plus, if Cerrato has more power, than Mooch makes even more sense. Throw in the hiring of these "West Coast" assistants and Blache who has ties with Mariuci and it fits together perfectly. I guarantee Snyder knew he wanted Mooch and had hired all the assistants that have or would work well with Mooch and is just waiting for the contractual ties Mooch has with the NFL Network to end. This makes perfect sense. If you throw in Mooch to the coaching staff already there, it becomes very respectable. Hopefully, they can build on something here. I still do not embrace Jason Campbell as a west coast qb, but maybe I will be proven wrong.

Guys I live in New Jersey, and I hate the Giants and Patriots more than any team in the NFL.. including the Cowboys. Now this is because I live so close and there are so many Giant fans so dont jump to conclusions. If fassel, spagnolo, or the pats mcdaniels get the hire, I will be so pissed off. I dont think in the NFL you should be hiring within the division. Especially the giants. Around here all i see are frontrunner giant fans and i think the best hire was williams. Now i dont know who, I just prey not fassel spagnolo or mcdaniels